|
|
Article: Comments on William D. Nordhaus's, "Irving Fisher and the Contribution of Improved Longevity to Living Standards".
- Article from:
- The American Journal of Economics and Sociology
- Article date:
- January 1, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 Blackwell Publishers Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Bill Nordhaus's paper would, I think, have greatly pleased Irving Fisher. It brings together two major themes of Fisher's career: the economic value of improving the health of the population, and the measurement of economic quantities. After his recovery from tuberculosis, Fisher was a prolific writer on health issues, warning against alcohol, tobacco, stress, lack of exercise, and poor diet, sanitation, and hygiene as preventable causes of illness and death. He published more than 60 articles and pamphlets on health from 1910 to 1915 alone, not counting a dozen specifically on tuberculosis (Allen 1993: 139). The first 19 editions of Fisher's How to Live, written jointly ...