Medicine: For Tuberculosis

By publishing an analysis of the U. S. sanatoriums and hospitals which treat tuberculous patients, the American Medical Association last week gave the nation its first sharp picture of what it costs to down that disease.

This country has 1,240 institutions taking care of the tuberculous. They can care for 95,198 patients at one time, but average only about 82,000 patients daily. Cost of running those hospitals amounts to $70,000,000 a year. This represents about $850 a year or less than $2.50 a day for each victim of tuberculosis who goes to a hospital or sanatorium. Only 15% of the 82,000 pay their way in full or in part.

In 1910, 136 people out of every 100,000 then living in the U. S. died of tuberculosis of the lungs. Now the death rate is 56 per 100,000.