, have been
brought under control, and their existence today is due only to the
carelessness or the ignorance of individuals.

On the other hand, such results of improper personal living as do not
come under legal control--diseases of the heart, kidneys, and general
degeneration, matters of personal hygiene--have so enormously
increased as in themselves to show the attitude of mind of the great
mass of the people, "Let us eat and drink and be merry, what if we do
die tomorrow!"

Probably not more than twenty-five per cent in any community are doing
a full day's work such as they would be capable of doing if they were
in perfect health. This adds to the length of the school course, to
the cost of production in all directions, to increased taxation, and
decreases interest in daily life.

The trouble is that the public does not _believe_ in this waste which
comes from being "just poorly" or "just so as to be about." It has no
conception of the difference between working with a clear brain and a
steady hand, and working with a dull and nerveless tool. It must be
convinced of this in some way. General warnings have been ineffective,
and now the appeal is being made to the American people on the basis
of money loss. Thus it has been carefully estimated that the average
economic value of an inhabitant of the United States is $2,900. The
vital statistics of the United States for population give 85,500,000.
Eighty-five million five hundred thousand multiplied by $2,900 equals
$250,000,000,000 (minimum estimate), and this exceeds the value of
_all other wealth_. The actual economic saving possible annually in
this country by preventing needless deaths, needless illness, and
needless fatigue is certainly far greater than $1,500,000,000, and may
be three or four times as great.

Dr. George M. Gould estimated that sickness and death in the United
States cost $3,000,000,000 annually, of which at least one-third is
regarded as preventable.

From all sides comes testimony to the decrease in personal efficiency
of workers of all degrees. Medical science has prolonged life,
hospitals and visiting nurses have made sickness less distressful, but
have also in many cases prolonged the time and increased the cost.
Sanitary science aims to prevent the beginnings of sickness, and so to
eliminate much of the expense.

The discovery that the mosquito is the carrying agent for the yellow
fever germ has saved more lives annually than were l