Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-11-22
The DEATH RATE
Not So High in Spanish as
in the Civil War.
Deputy Surgeon General Smart Shows
Rate Was Less Than Half.
The Yellow Journals Hysteric Uiterances Have
MisIed The Public.

army, mas sent the following eommunj-
cation to Surgeon General Sternbere
comparing the deaths from sickness in
the Spanish war and the Civil War.
In reply to your inquiry, / can very
promptly state that the sickness and
mortality during the war with Spain
was not relatively so great as that
from which our volunteer troops suf-
fered during the Civil War,
It became by duty and my high
privilege to spend over three years of
my life in studying the records of sick
ness while compiling the third part of
the medical volume of Medical and
Surgical History of the War That
history is on our shelves and by re-
terlng to it we may find out how
diarrhoea and dysentery, typhoid fever
ana malarial disease swept through
our camps and sent their thousands to
the hospitals and to their graves. We
may also compare the deaths recorded
by the medical officers of those days
when the deaths recorded by the medi-
cal officers of the present time and
should we do so we would find over
whelming testimony to the effect that
any differences discovered in the per-
centage Of deaths from battle casual
ties, and from disease are not due TO
the greater prevalence and fatality of
disease in the recent struggle, but to
the number of sangunary battlefields
of the Civil War.
In April, 1861, President Lincoln call
ed for $4,000 volunteers. but it was not
until after April %, when his call for
100000 was made that we had armies
comparable in size with those recently
in existence. Beginning then with
July, 1861, when we had medical re-
ports from regiments aggregating only
63,11S men and including August, Sep
TENDER, October and November, five
months, we find recorded a loss by
death of 3075 men in the reports sent in
by medical officers from an average
present of III, $50 men, or 1871 deaths
out of every 1000 men during that
period of five months. More deaths oc-
Cured than We're reported, for some
surgeons failed to send III reports: but
the probabilities are that had miss
ing reports been Forthcoming the
deaths would have continued to have
the same proportion to the reported
strength.
In April, 1898, President Mckinley
called for 125000 men and later for rs
600 men. which. with an increase III
the regular army and the immune and
other special regiments, made a total
of over 100000 men. Beginning with
May, 1898. for which month we have
medical reports in the office of the
surgeon general of the army from regi-
snents aggregating ISL, 655 men, and in
Guiding June, july August and Sep
tember. five months, we find on file a
loss by death of only It's men reported
by medical officers in an average
strength of 167,1 6S men, or 1921 deaths
out of every 1000 men during that peri
cd of five months. More deaths oc-
cured than We're reported for some
surgeons have failed so far to send in
reports. but the probabilities are that
were the missing reports forthcoming,
the additional deaths would be asso-
ciated with a proportionate increase or
the strength. If reports had come in
from the whole 100000 men, the num-
Der of deaths would have probably
amounted to 2710.
According, then, 10 the testimony of
every medical officer who has placed him
self on record then and now, we lost in
the five months of the war with Spain
10 q men out of every 1000 reported pres
ent by the medical officers serving with
them, and in the first five months of the
war of the Rebellion 1871 out of every
1000 similarly reported present. During
the month of May last. the death rate
was low, 46; it was somewhat higher in
I no Nv lprt nf a
rate of S.4 per 1000. In July it rose to 2.15
for the month, or the equivalent of an
annual rate of 25.S per 1000. In August
owing to the rapid spread of typhoid
fever in the camps and to the broken
down condition of Gen. Skaters corps,
it reached 40S, equal to an annual rate of
1886, such as was common in cities be
fore the era of municipal sanitation. The
war department immedia tely put forth
its energies to remedy this condition OF
affairs, and with such efficacy that the
death rate in September fell to 2.45.
of it be claimed that this falling off
was due to the fact that typhoid infection
had done it's worst and that, irrespective
of all sanitary measures, the death rate
would have fallen owing to the exhaus-
ton of susceptible material, we have
merely to consider what was the history
of our Civil war camps subsequent to
Nov. /, 1861, when, as l have stated, the
number of deaths had already amounted
to 1871 per 1000 of the strength of those
present In that month. November, the
rate was 4.27, or somewhat more than our
recent maximum of August last; but the
next month, December, showed no sign
Of decrease, for 1913 men died, or 400 per
1000.
During January, 1862, the ravages of