The price was enormous suffering for them and their loved ones, tremendous expense to society, and a less tangible but profound toll on the morale of staff providing what they knew to be futile care.
Despite claims by officials that many channels of communication with the Taliban were open, there are no tangible signs that the war could end soon, and the death toll continues to rise.
The most tangible expansion in the works is a $1.1 billion extension of the express toll lanes in the Interstate 95 corridor, north of Baltimore, where construction is expected to begin next year.
Some have called them "bioshields", but there is little tangible evidence to suggest that, in the face of large disasters, these wetlands significantly reduce human death tolls.
"Everything tangible is gone.
"Dinner is something tangible.
As the toll mounted — at least 68 were reported dead by late Sunday, with several people still unaccounted for — the potential for even greater loss of life seemed tangible.
