The sun., 1898-06-07

men who presented themselves for ex-
animation had what may be called per-
iect feet. In fact il perfect feet were
sine qua non for admission into the
army, is would be a most difficult matter
to get l25,000 men together. BY sore
feet we understand feet that are in a
continuous heated condition from exces-
sive perspiration, or are covered with
corns and bunions.
"Naturally the feet OF soldier must
be free from such blemishes, or he can
not stand a march of any duration with
ont suffering intense pain. Now, a great
many men, who are fine specimens, so
far as their constitution is concerned,
have sore feet, and these had to be re-
jected, except where speedy cure was
probable. Maitormed feet were OF more
than common occurrence, and by that
mean crossed toes, disloc tied joints, and
protruding bones in the instep.
"All these malformations are calculated
to cause serious inconvenience on a
march, and for that reason the men nav
ing them We're rejected. As Tor the
causes, one of the principal is the wear
ing of shoes that do not fit or do not con
form to the shape of the foot The style
of a year or two ago, when pointed toes
were the rage, contributed not a little u
deforming mems feet When man
tries to squeeze all his toes into space
barely large enough to accommodate the
big toe alone, the result can be easily
I fOrseen.
'The flat foot is comparatively I'M
known to the lavman, but it is never
! theless common defect OF the foot, and
large number of men were rejected on
that account. 1t is simply that the foot
where the arcl should be is perfectly
fal, and the weight Of the body rests
upon the whole foot instead of upon a
part OF It,.
"This imptd sthe natural spring of the
foot's movement and produces a sort of
shutting gait, which soon tells in long
march, involving as it does an increased
strain upon the muscles of the thigh and
the calf, as well as OF the foot itself. In
other words, there is no elasticity to the
hat-footed step, and the consequence is
that the foot soon tires, and in some
cases swells to such an extent as to
make further walking for the time being
impossible.
"Varicose veins were found to be
quite prevalent among the recruits, and
formed the ground upon which admis-
sion Was refused. This disease. though
by no means serious, at times grows
troublesome, and it was thought best to
reject all men thus afflicted"
The examinations conducted in the
cases of volunteers were entirely physi-
cal, the mental qualifications being en-
tirely disregarded In the regular army
the mental examinations are fully as
strict as the physical, and many rejec-
tions are made because Of mental, intel.
lectual, and moral defects. The eXami-
lat ;ons are based on the methods laid
down in "An Epitome OF Tripler's Man
ual and Other Publications on the En-
animation of Recruits" by Charles r.
Greenleaf. Colonel and Assistant Sur
geon General, United States Army,
fourth edition, published in May, 1898.
Col. Smart, Assistant Surgeon General
of the United States Army, said recently
that in times OF peace of the men who
attempt to enlist in the army fully 80 PR
cent are unable to pass the physica ex-
animation. The reports Of the depart
ment show hat in every 1000 men Il
are rejected for varicose veins. varicocele,
or hemorrhoids; IS for detects OF vision
80 for heart trouble, - for hernia or
rupture. for consumption, for flat
/ feet, . for mental insuffiency, about 10
per cent. for over or under weight, 10
( per cent. more for bad or doubtful moral
character and unsatisfactory references
as to conduct. a trite over & per cent. for
imperfect knowledge Of English and over
20 per cent. for general imperiection and
undesirability.