Year: 1877

THE COMMERCIAL VALUE OF HEALTH AND


WHAT MAY BE DONE TO SECURE 1T.


Very few people can afford to be sick.
The rich may not mind the expense, the man
in moderate circumstances can neither afford
the time nor the expense, and the poor man
has no right to be sick, for his sickness must
be prevented or cured at the expense of 30
ciety. The very rich and the very poor pat.
ronize the doctor at the slightest symptoms Of
illness the one can pay the bills, the other
goes to the free dispensary. The man in
moderate circumstances avoids the doctor as
long as possible, and permits harmless attacks
of illness to grow into formidable disease, and
often calls in help when it is too late. In
every thousand men and women there is al
ways certain number who are sick. This
proportion varies in different places and sea-
sons, but it is known factor in the health of
cities. 1t may, for convenience, be reckoned
at, say, twenty-five in the thousand. This
sick rate being known, it is easy to reckon the
commercial value of health, and this being
ascertained, it is possible to decide the actual
money cost of maintaining health.


Suppose, says the New York Times, one
thousand men and women in one neighbor-
hood paid, each, ten cents week to fund.
In year they would have fund of 1900.
Suppose they paid four thousand to good
physician for bis services, on demand, for
year. A good medical man could easily un-
dertake to maintain the thousand people in
good health, as far as nature would permit,
and would still have left $1,000 to pay for
collecting the modey. The doctor would
hardly be expected to collect the money, snd
a collector, to call each week or month, in ad-
vance, would be needed. This would only
amount $500 year for each one, and would
entitle each one to medical attendance for the
year without extra charge. By such an ar.
rangement the patients would be sure ofhelp
in need they would call the doctor at the
very first approach of illness, and much sick.
ness would thus be avoided. Everything de-
pends on the first attack in disease the
first hour is worth more than the second week,
and the doctor who is called promptly is the
most successful. If the doctor felt secure in
a good income if he had his patients in hand
at all times, he could do himself more justice
and save his patients much trouble, delay and
pain.


A young doctor puts out his sign and waits
weary years for decently good income His
patients often have the utmost difficulty in
paying his bills. And, with all this, by prop.
er association, they could get good medical
attendance from man jealous and eager to
keep them well for only few dollars year
in advance, and the doctor will be saved the
worrying care and heart-sickening deferment
of hope that are his usual experience in early
medical life. The only wonder is that some
active and honest man does not undertake to
collect ten or fifteen cents week from q thou
sand or more people and provide them with
frst-class physician. An able medical man
could readily undertake the care of fifteen
hundred patients, if he was properly provided
with generous and fixed income. The COL
lector, picking up fifteen cents week, in
weekly or monthly installments, would easily
pay a physician $4,000 or $4,000 year for
his whole time, could guarantee to his patients
the best attention on demand, and still have
little something for himself. This idea is
neither new nor visionary. 1t is already in
active operation in several English cities, un-
der what is known as the Provident Dispen-
sary system. 1t can be made to pay, and
might be of ia6nite value, both to the pa
tients and to the medical profession.