GERMS. 101 



and ninety-six cases of sickness and seven thousand one 

 hundred and twenty-one deaths have been saved" in 

 seven years. Who says so? Why, the health officers. 

 How do they know? They "studied and estimated," 

 and then by placing the value of a human life at $500, 

 these same health officers tell us that they are saving 

 the state nearly one million dollars a year. It will be 

 seen that by shifting the studies, changing the "esti- 

 mate" and increasing or diminishing the value of hu- 

 man life, the profits may be correspondingly increased 

 or diminished. 



The Michigan Health Board only claims to save the 

 state one million dollars on four diseases. We are 

 acquainted with a health officer from another state 

 who claims they save three million dollars on one dis- 

 ease. The difference is all in the "estimate" and the 

 value placed on human life as mentioned. 



The health board claims that diphtheria and scarlet 

 fever are "preventable diseases." To the writer's 

 knowledge scarlet fever has been epidemic in a certain 

 part of Michigan during the past three years, yet every 

 case was under the control of a health officer. Why 

 did not the health officers stop it ? . 



Diphtheria was epidemic in Lansing, Michigan for 

 many months during the year 1900. The health board 

 had full control; why did they not stop it? Why did 

 they allow it to "run its course," which it certainly did ? 

 The writer has heard it freely stated that about the year 

 1898 typhoid fever was notoriously prevalent and fatal 

 in Philadelphia. Why did not the health board stop it ? 

 Is this the way the board of health "prevents sickness 



