Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1863-10-21
The uealun OF our Armies.

The country and the cause OF Science are M
der greet obligations TO the Sanitary Commission
and the medical bureau for the e0pious statistics
thew have from time to time furnished on the
sickness aud death rate in the various armies OF
the Union The task OF collecting these inter
esting facts has beer purely a labor OF love. ss
the Only reward the various medical men inter
ested can expect il the consciousness OF having
done gosd work for the cause OF science and
humanity.
Circular No Is. from the Surgeon Generals
office which has Just been published, Is tuil OF
interesting matter IN connection with the health
OF our armies Some OF the figures II gives
are curious, and will bear reproducing IN these
columns.
II seems that during the first year OF the re
belion the mortality of all the armies of the
Union was OF per thousand Ofthe mean strength
Thi. the total mortality. and includes deaths
from disease rs we'll "a from wounds aud injuries
The mortality from diseases alone was d. per
thousand aud from wounds and injuries u :.
This shows that. dreadful are the scenes OF the
! battle field, the loss of lie in camp IS nearly
/ four fold greater
The impression that the western soldiers are OF
more vigorous constitution than those of the east,
j. not borne out by the figures of this report.
! The death rate Is far heavier in what IS termed
I the Central region than the Atlantic or IA
cifc slopes The following is the ratio of deaths
in each thousand men for the year ending June
30. 1862:
Atlantic Border. ............. 50 40
Central Region. SIS
Pacific Border. wv
Frsm these fsures it would appear that the
ives ern troops must have suffered moreby battles,
sieges unhealthy climatic influences. and want
OF proper sanitary care, than the eastern troops.
The difference between the three regions IS not,
however. so marked in the general sickness rates
as in the mortality account, as will be seen oy
the following table:
Atlantic Border 2I4sss
Central Region ....-...-..... oos-I
Pacific Bnrder -..-..'''-'''-'-' -ooo "
As the above is the rate per thousand, 1t iol
lows that large proportion OF our troops "rt
sick several times during the year. Camp lever
the most fatal disease OF the army, seems to bea
18th peculiar hardship upon the western troops
On the Pacific 20 the ru OF dea rs amoi {
the fever cases Is / in - | IN the Atlantic b #
der / N IA cases, and the central region 4
9S This excessive mortality l. clearly attr'but
able 10 want OF prooer care in the western armies
u Dtrrhoea and dssenterv cause, II seems. OF e
a fourth of all the sickness reported o. the AT
e lantic border one hlf the army suffer from theS
e digestive emeuts; but the proportion in th
: Wes, i equal TO the mean strength o: the arme
e IN that quarter.
IS We IRE promised nv the medical bureau tha
the reports for the year ending June, 1865, W.
: be very complete and will show, notwithsttnd
y ing the greater severity of the battles. n lowe
n rate of mortality Aud this to he expecte'
u During the past year our armies we're compose
e OF green, unframed men. and the officers we'
!. without practical knowledge Ot camp dutie
N hence the loss of life through sheer ignoranC
ami inexperlence was very large; but the secon
wear OF the war will make a creditah
record. aud the third year will. we have no doub
re show better results still n Y World.