El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-06-08
Its Ravages Among the
Troops Fully Des-
cribed BY
GENERAL STERNBBRG
At the American Medical
Association Convention.
Alarming Death Rate
During the War.

COLUMBUS, O., June S.-No fewer
than half hundred papers were rea(
at the various sectional conferences O.
the American Medical association con
vention today, but the one of mos1
interest to the general public, it is
hardly necessary to state, was that OF
Surgeon General George M. Stern berg
head of the medical department of the
United States army. { on ''Sanitary
Lessons of the War;"
General Sternberg spoke ia part as
follows:
"As compared with the civil war and
other great wars of the present century
the mortality from wounds and disease
among our troops during the war with
Spain has been low. Our wounded
have, to large extent, had the advap-
tsge of prompt treatment with antisep-
tic dressings and a very considerable
proportion of these who were not kill
ed outright have recovered without any
mutilating operation or septic compli-
cation.
The mortality from disease has also
been comparatively low. but unfortun-
ately during the first months of the
war that scourge of new levies of
troops, typhoid fever, prevailed in
many of our camps and claimed nu-
merous victims. 1t Is we'll known to
sanitariars and military surgeons that
as general rule more soldiers succumb
to disease than are killed by the bull
lets of the enemy, and our recent war
has not been an exception in this re-
gard.''
The total number of deaths reported
in our large army, including regulars
and volunteers, from May 1, 1898, to
April 3d. 1899, is 6,406. OF these 5, ,438
died of disease and 96S were killed in
battle or died of wounds. injuries or
accidents. During the Civil war the
mum Der of deaths from the disease was
1S6, ZIG, and in addition to this "a, 1S4
deaths are recorded as from unknown
causes, and probably the most of these
deaths were from disease.
1.-THE number who were killed in
battle or died of wounds WIS SO, $50, or
about one-hslf of the deaths from |
disease. The total deaths from disease
In the Union armies from the COM
of the war to the 3lst CT |
of December, 1862, was "a, 1926, and in |
the Confederate armies during the |
same period, 31.326. The monthly |
death rate in our armies from May l,
1898, to April 80, 1899, as compared
with the rates for the same period dur
ing the first twelve months of the Civil
war shows that the ratio per thousand
Of mean strength in the frst-named
was 25.S2 and that of the Civil war 45.-
s..
Gin comparing the death rates from
disease during the year of the Spanish
American war, May 1, 1898, to April
30, 1899, and the first year of the civil
var, May l, 1861, to April 30, 1852, note
should be taken in the first place that
he mean strength in May, 1861, was
,nly 16,1 161 as compared with 1853, 726
men in service in May, 1898. The mus
ering in of volunteer troops progress
ID more slowly in 1861 than during the :
ecent war so that it was not until Sep !
CAOST du0 OSbOOOi3 1OO1s ohoo OhC |
mean strength assumed proportions (
quail to that of the months of the .
spanish war. Although the number ,
'resent in the camps of 1s61-62 after
October, 1861, was largely in excess of c
hose aggregated during the past year, +
he average annual strength during r
10Th wars did not differ greatly. r
nevertheless the deaths from disease q
q 1861-62 numbered 1,522 while in q
s9S-99 they amounted only to 543S. g
he death rate per thousand of strength d
'ounted gradually month by month in u
86l-62, and indeed it did not reach its q
cme until February, 1868, when the n
ate of 6.39 was reached. In 1898, on C
he other hand, the acme, $50, was f.
cached suddenly in September. but 6
wing to the sanitary measures adopt n
the fall during October and Novem- G.