Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-11-22
DEATH ROLLS ARE COMP AIRED.
That Of tho soldiers Daring the
eisii war.

Washington. Nov. 2s.-col. Charles
Smart. deputy surgeon general Of the
army. has sent a communication 30
surgeon General s,ernbcrE comparing
the dciihs from sickness IN the war with
spain and In che civil war. lie says
IN reply TO your Inquiry l can state
that the sickness and mortality during
the war with spasn was not relatively
~ great as that which our volunteer
it,.ops suffered during the ol,si war
a comparison of che deaths recorded
by the medical officers " THOSE days
with the deaths recorded by the mcdi-
cal officers Of the present time gives
overwhelming tcsumvny to the effect
that any differences discovered IA the
percentage of deaths from battle cas-
ulities and from disease are not due 80
the great prevalence and fatality OF
disease IN the recent struggles. but 20
the number Of uansulnary Dai,lchelds
Of the civil war.
Beginning wish July. 1851. when We
had medical reports from rcgimalts ag-
Ercgatng only Oils men. and includ-
tng August. September. october and
November. ave months. Ne nni re-
corded a loss by death VI a.o'5 men In
the reports sent In ~ mcAcal officers.
from an average strength prcscnl of
Ia 800 men, or ii.1i deaths cat Of every
thousand mou during thtg period VI ave
months More deaths occurred than re-
ported. for some surgeons failed to send
reports. but the probabilities arc That.
had the mlsslng reports been mrthcom-
Ing, the deaths would have c0tf.lnued
60 have the same proportion 10 the re-
I.4rtgl strength
In April. issS. President Mckinley
called tur 10000 men and later for TO-
900. which, with an Increase IN the req
uiar army and the Immune aud other
special regiments, made q total OF over
go 600 men. beginning with May,
ISIS. for which month W. have medical
reports IN the office % thc surgeon gem
,i'tI ~ the army from regiments aEgre-
* 1si, Gsi men. and Including
July, August and september, We
Had on flc loss by death Of only iii5
men reported by mrdlchl officers IN an
average strength ~ ic,,i0s, or about
deaths lW " every thousand men dur
sug that period ~ nye months II re-
ports had come IN from the whole sIo.-
900 the aumber ~ death would probs-
bly have amounted b. AGO.
According, then. 10 tho testimony Of
every medical officer who has placed
h'mrelf on Ncord thea and nov, We losi
N
spain 1874 men out Of every thousand
reported .reneni by medical officers
serving with them pnd 10 the nrst nye
months ~ 1hc war ~ the rebellion, liN
out uf every thousand similarly re-
ported present. This " Interesting. but
IL II Htlll more 80, ~ We look nt'le
more into the details OF these reports.
Durlng the month OF May last. the
death rae was low, 80, u was some
what HIGHER In June. 20, or the equi-
Vaient ~ an annual rate ~ - per thou.
sand. In August, owing 90 the rapid
spread 81 typhoid fever IN the camp.
sod To the broken down eonilton 81
Generai Skaters corps, 4 reached t0s.
eauai 10 an annual rate ~ p.ss. such
as was common In ctles before the era
81 municipal sanitation. The war de-
partment Immediately put forth It's en-
srgles 20 remedy fhls conditions OF AT !
fairs and with such ef'lclicy that she
death rate IN September fell TO 80, II
A he calimed that this failing on was
due TO M fact that the iyphod infec- |
siOn had done Us worst ana that. IRE |
snectIve OF all sanitary measures, the |
death r1ie would have fallen owing Co |
che exhaustion NJ susceptible material /
WE have merely 10 consider what was
the history Of our oivil war camps sub.
seausnt 10 November 1861, when, a. ] /
have stated, she number OF deaths had /
already amounted In 1871 per thousand /
on the strength present, IN that month /
of November, the rate was NJ, or some. /
what more than our recent maximum OF
August last, hut the next month, Doc
enber showed no sign ~ decrease. for |
Ibsi men died, or iGs per thousand. /
DursnE January, 1869, the ravages uf 1
dlsease continued 1904 men having /
hGen sWcpt away by death. or Isl out /
of every thousand ~ those present. In /
F,hruary the rate was 40 and In |
March dos. In April the elimination /
was re,ehed when a,a3i deaths were |
renortel. constituting death rate for
he month Of Si2 per thousand. a rate
twice AZ high as that reported from our
camps In August last