Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-06-09
Lessons From the Army Death. Rate.

the death-rates of the Civil War ana
the war with Spain. An abstract of
this address is published in another
column, and it furnishes good reading
matter, worthy of careful study, both
for those who have deplored the loss of
life in the recent war in comparison
with the results attained; and for those
who raised the ridiculous cry of Al
gerism" on account of the prevalence
of typhoid fever in some Of the camps,
last summer
General Sternberg shows that the
ratio Of deaths to the mean strength
of the army during the war with Spain
was only about half that of the first
year of the Civil War. The total num-
Der of deaths reported from our en-
larged army, including regulars and
volunteers from May 1, 1893. to April
80. 1899 is 64O6. OF these 5i3S died of
disease, and 96S We're killed in battle or
died Of wounds. The mean strength of
our army during these Y months was
2l1. 1850 men. During the corresponding
II months Of the Civil War the mean
strength of the army was 229, ASP men,
and 0,522 died of disease. Those who
istraton of the war department, ana
calling Secretary Alger a murderer
every time a soldier died of disease,
will do we'll to remember these facts.
1t is an inevitable part Of every war
that many more men died of disease
than are killed in battle, and the
death-rate. both from disease and from
wounds. was kept much lower during
the war with Spain than it has been
in any other war during the present
century.
In the regular army during the past
20 years the death-rate from typhoid
fewer has been very much lower than
in any city in the country. The army
medical school has devoted much of its
work to the cause ana prevention of
infectious diseases and has given our
regular army medical department a
degree of efficiency not equalled in any
other army. But the comparatively
small number Of medical officers of the
regular army available for duty in the
large camps occupied BY our Voluntee"
troops at the outset of the war proved
to be entirely inadequate to control
the sanitary situation in these camps,
and as result Of the conditions exist
ing the mortality from typhoid fever
in our armies during the year ending
April 80. 1899, was much greater than
the annual mortality in our regular
army during the decade Immediately
preceding the war period AS COM
pared with the first year Of the Civil
War. however. there is a decided i'm
provement, the typhoid mortality for
the first year Of the Civil War having
been 81 per 100, 600 Of mean strength,
and for the Spanish-American War
l-3t per IUU,UuO. moreover, llt NlSbI-
Gus sanitary measures enforced en-
abled our troops to quickly free them
fectious disease, and while the line of
| typhoid mortality continued to ascend
during the first year of the Civil War
and subsequently, it rapidly fell after
the middle Of September last, and for
| the last six months Of the period under
consideration has been remarka bly,
| low. Indeed. in the history of large
armies the record has never heretofore
been equaled.
General Sternberg shows that the
prevalence Of typhoid fever in the
| camps of 1898 was mainly due to the
persistent neglect of well-known sani-
tary measures by the officers and men
I themselves. The volunteer medical
officers are blamed for not recognizhg
| the disease in It's eariier stages .befsre
the epidemic became generaka As a
result the camps became infected, and
the failure to use proper methods OF
disinfection and the continued ocCupa-
ton Of infected camps led to the de-
VelOpment of Veritable epidemics Of
typhoid fever in several Of the camps
occupied by our troops .,4 urtat: Iu
General Sternberg justly concludes
that trained medical corps hardly
adequate for an ARMY Of $4,000 mer
cannot control the sanitary situation
when this army is quickly expanded t.
100000. Civilian physicians cannot b,
expected to succeed at once in tht
sanitary supervision Of great camps
Volunteers are ignorant of the frs
, principles of camp sanitation and only
, careful training and rigid discipline car
preserve the health Of such soldiers
He urges a course Of systematic in
struction for all. medical officers Of thu
> National Guard 'and, for all line officer.
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