Sioux County pioneer. (Fort Yates, Sioux County, N.D.) 1914-1929, 1919-07-10
Economic Loss From Preyentable
Ailments Is Estimated at
Enormous Figure.
BASED On STUDY IN ILLINOIS
iinf'uenxa Epidemic ResponslbIs for
Economic Loss IN Vital Assets 81
Approximately 81 100000. 900
Health Means MONEY.

New Yofk. economic loss In this
country from ,preventable diseases is
estimated by American Medicine at
50, 900. 600. 600 a year. This conclusion
% based on an elaborate study of the
subject By Illinois Health News, which
shows that in 1913 In Illinois alone Ill
ness and death from such diseases en-
tailed loss Of $24.a7 for each man,
woman and child In the state. Although
the general death rate in Illinois was
at the low figure Of 14.2 per 1000 Of
population, the loss from the prin-
scipal preventableE diseases amounted
50 SIS, 1881. 8s5. or COL per cent Of the
total property value Of the state.
II this ratio Of per capita cost, .
American Medicine says, ..were to
apply for the entire United States
the loss during 1918 would amount to
more than 81, 600. 900. The Illinois
figures. however, merely considered
the cost sofg the following communf-
cable diseases: Typhoid, malaria.
smallpox. measles, scarlet fever,
whooping cough, diphtheria, menin-
gitis,f poliomye litis, tuberculosis and
pneumonia. Sif
In computing the financial cost,
three items were involved : ~ The cost
Of funerals based at 500 for adults
and $50 for children; (2)l the value Of
life lost at So, 600 for an adult and $500
for a. child; (3) the cost Of care Of
those who recover, Including medical
service for ADULTS
Utilizing the same figures for the
few aboye-named diseases In a, com,
4 putation on the basis of the United
States mortality figures for 1916, the
death losses from these ten diseases
s tpolio myelitis mot included) amounted
to approximat ely $50, 100000 and the
losses due to medical care and wages
| to approximately LOTS, 600.
& The recent epidemic Of influenza
involved at least ten million persons,
within mortality Of approximately 400, I
COO. Assuming that each case Of ILL
4 ness involved only $25 for medical
care, the cost would be $3.50, 900. 900. 81
Pestiience Adds Another Billion.
'Inasmuch as the mortality from Ia.
1luenza involved Approximately three
Z persons OF working age to one child
one may consider the average loss BY
death equivalent TO s., 400, md the
funeral expenses at $50. giving thus
Z q total economic loss In vital assets OF
/ approximately 81 COO. 600, 600. These flg.
lures, large as they are, take no &C
! count OF the losses II prod ction due
to the pestil Hence, nor, indeed, Of the
cost OF labor turnover due to the NOR.
tally Of industrial workers. II
These tremendous costs n Of com:
municable diseases may be regarded
In part as an index Of the economic
efficiency of communities. It certainly
. does not reflect great interest or care
!, lin the conservat ton Of the assets Of
the community 10 note the astonishing
destruction Of resources due to pre-
Sventable commune able diseases. s II \.
lis probably a shock to- the con
servative thinker about economic
y efulness to realize that the mum
Der 0f industrial accidents reported Il
the New York state Industrial com
mission for the year 1911 lob !; wa,
286, 81, 4 number lnrger than the tota
fscasnalt les OF our American army oc
cupied In the strenuous work of con
;Quering q pitiless foe. It isS as the ut
most signifi chnce that war, with an III
4 atrocities, is probably responsible foI
1l<<lxn Sr,,<,s 80, = ~. :, :,