Chain effects of clean water: The Mills-Reincke phenomenon in early twentieth-century Japan
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This study explores the validity of chain effects of clean water, which are known as the "Mills-Reincke phenomenon," in early twentieth-century Japan. Recent studies have reported that water purifications systems are responsible for huge contributions to human capital. Although a few studies have investigated the short-term effects of water-supply systems in pre-war Japan, little is known about the benefits associated with these systems. By analyzing city-level cause-specific mortality data from the years 1922-1940, we found that eliminating typhoid fever infections decreased the risk of deaths due to non-waterborne diseases. Our estimates show that for one additional typhoid death, there were approximately one to three deaths due to other causes, such as tuberculosis and pneumonia. This suggests that the observed Mills-Reincke phenomenon could have resulted from the prevention typhoid fever in a previously-developing Asian country.
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