The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1876-05-13 00:00:00

1. Li THE HEALTH OF • THE ARMY:

11 The Army Medical Department Report for 1874
has just been published. It states that the average
strength of the troops serving in the United Kingdom
during the 52 weeks ending the 25th of December,
1874, calculated from the weekly returns of sick was
6,837; the admissions into hospital in this number
were 73,004 ; the deaths in hospital, and those which
becurred outof hospital, were 735; throughout the years
the average number of men always in hospital was
8,35 L The proportions per 1,000 of the strength re-
Presented by these numbers are of admissions,
840?; and of constantly sick, 3859. In addition,
however, 84 deaths occurred among men detached
from 'their regiments; the average number of men
eo detached is given in the Adjutant-General's
Returns as 6,361. The average strength of the force
eerving in the United Kingdom was, therefore, 93,198.
iand the total number of deaths 819, being in the rate of
819 per 1,000 of the strength. The rate of admissions
is 815, and that of deaths is '53, per 1,000 men in excess
of the corresponding rates of the previous year; both
are also in excess of those of the average of the five
preceding years. The report states certain considera-
tions bearing on the subject of the less favourable
health of the force in 1874 than in the previous year,
and remarks that the matter is complicated by the fact
that causes tending in opposite directions influenced
the number of admissions into hospital in 1871 The
fall in the rate of admissions for venereal diseases,
which followed the promulgation of the Royal War-
rant of October, 1873, continued throughout 1874.
The increase in the rate of admissions for all diseases
together was, therefore, in spite of the operation of a
cause tending to lower the rate. Until nearly the end
of the first quarter of tits year the weekly rates of ad-
missions were sometimes higher, sometimes lower than
those of the corresponding weeks in 1873, but the
average for the period of ii weeks was nearly the same
in both cases, being 1.5'54 per 1,000 against 1560. In
the last week but 0t... of the quarter, however, an in-
crease in the rate began, and with one exception
'continued uninterruptedly until the end of the
rms. During this period the rate of admissions
!averaged about one-eighth higher than that of the cor-
responding period in 1873. The suddenness of the rise
'resembled that due to epidemic disease, but no im-
portant epidemic broke out then, or during the year,
;nor does the steady maintenanae of the rise duringnine
!months show the influence of sickness in this form; it
points rather to the operation of some sustained
agencies, for it seems probable that more than one con-
tributed to the result. During the year 1874 a radical
change in the previous system of hospital management
and medical attendance on sick soldiers was made by
the substitution of station for rezimental hospitals, and
it is therefore necessary to estimate what effect this
may have had on the amount of sickness. As the rise
in the rate of admissions began in the last week in
March and the new system was nowhere established
before the month of May, and then only at one
station, and as the system was not generally in force
until the last quarter of the year (and in Ireland
not until December), the Report considers it clear
that the change does not account for even a
considerable part of the greatly increased number of
admissions into hospital, though it is the case
that for some time after the establ'slansent of station
hospitals a temporary increase in the number of ad-.
missilons occurred at certain stations.'.. The higher
proportion of siCkness, and of mortality among. the
troops serving in the United Kingdom in 1874 than in
1873 i sinit'chiefly be ascribed to the 'unfavourable
causes affecting the health-of the general population in
England in 1874, as shown -in a higher death-rate.
From, the Returns of the Registrar-General it appears
that in 1873 the proportion of deaths was 2P2 per
1,000 of-the population,- while in 1874 the propor-
tion was 22'3, an excess in the latter year of 11.
per 1,000.; and it is a fair assumption that an
creased araourit of sickness accompanied the greater
mortality of 1874. Among the troops in the United
Kingdom; the admissions were proportionately greater
in every- class, Rod also in every separate group, of
diseases than In 1873, excepting in two, for the un-
conformity of which in one instance there is an ob-
vious explanation; and not only were the admissions
from sickness more numerous, but those caused by
accidents were greatly in excess—in a smaller strength
they were 1,401 more in number, and the deaths fol-
lowing them were 17 more than in 1873. The Report
observes that no doubt the rate of admissions and of
deaths in the year 1874 was also somewhat raised by
the circumstance that many invalids from abroad,
instead of being sent to Netley, joined their depots,
and the records of their admissions and deaths were not
always kept distinct from those of the other soldiers.
In many instances, probably, their illnesses were
returned among those of the United Kingdom, the
result being that more admissions and deaths were
attributed to the force serving at home than were due
to illness contracted there, and also that the rates of
mortality due to service at stations abroad were a little
_ .
understated. rt,-, 4., ...Ai._