New-York tribune., 1902-12-24
FRENCH 4RMYS HEALTH
Some Comparisons Of Sanitary Con-
ditions IN Republic and GERMANY.
Paris. Decemhar =

~ young conscrlpts are called out to Join their
regiments. has aroused considerable comment
and has led to short but interesting discussion
u the Senate. which ELECTED from General Andre
+he admission that the rates of disease and
+srtv in the French army were considerably
higher than in the German army. The official
eq7,res in France as we'll as in Germany have
been examined and compared by NJ. Marvaud
head surgeon of the military hospital of Willie
many, Lyons. 1t appears that in the
year 19Ge-the latest period for which statistics
ere giver-the difference in the sanitary condi-
tjons OF the two armies was greater than at any
,irne previously recorded. In 1900 the total
number of men in Germany, exclusive of Ba-
varia actually performing duty under the colors
WIS $4,000 In France during the same year
the men under the coors numbered 81, 900
But in France the cases of Illness and death
registered were respectively 57,524 and 2,13l.
while in Germany, for practically the same num-
Der Of electives. there were only IS 1888 sick and
4SS deaths. Typhoid fever, which annually
makes fearful ravages among the young French
conscripts, appears in very benign form in
Germany Out OF the 5120a9 French soldiers
Of the active army there were 1885 cases Of
typhoid fever recorded in the year 1900 of which
1O01 were fatal. In Germany. of the ola
600 men under the coors, there were only a2l
cases of typhoid. of which eighty-seven were
fatal. Comparisons established in regard to
other diseases, such pneumonia, dysentery,
diphtheria. scarlet fever and contagious mala-
dies, were found TO be in about the same proper
ton for typhoid: and further investigation
confirmed the alarming result that the
tality in the French army for the year 1900 was
four times greater than in the German army
Official inquiries have meanwhile proved the
accuracy OF the statement of Senator Gotteron
that since the treaty of Frankfort that is TO
say. during thirty years Of peace, disease has
taken from the active army of Germany 1900
soldiers, which is about the equivalent Of
infantry division of two brigades and has taken
from the active army Of France $4,000 men,
which is the equivalent 10 three complete army
corps. These figures speak for themselves,
and, may readily be imagined, have led to
extraordinary activity for the Improvement of
the sanitary condition of France, which is in
separable from that of the army.
The situation from the French point of view
is all the more serious because II is likely TO be
aggravated by the adoption. already decided
upon, of the reduction of the term of military
service from three years to two years. Owing
TO the decreasing birth rate in France, the
yearly contingent OF young fulfilling the
physical standard for military service is grad
ually diminishing. The number of male births
in France during the year 1SS0-the year which
supplied the military quota of young men of
twenty-one VINO Joined the colors in 1900-was
4S1 600 and of these 900 male babies only
$50 600 survived able bodied men in 1900.
For the year 1900 there We're only 431000 male
births in France. which at the same ratio
viii supply a military quota for the year 1920
of only 295000 able bodied young men Of TWEEN
ty-one. Thus, in twenty years. the available
military contingent of France will be $4,000
men less than at present, while owing to the
reduction OF the period of military service from
three to two years the number Of conscripts re-
quired viii be one-third greater than at present.
Already the medical examiners have felt con-
strained to accept recruits physically below the
standards of height and of chest measurement
In Germany, the other hand, the plethora Of
able-bodied young conscripts available for mill
tary service enables the medical boards TO main
tain a higher standard than is possible in
France.
The opinion of competent medical men in
Paris is that the alarming rate of sickness and
mortality registered in the French army as COM
pared with that Of Germany is largely due to the
inferior physical condition of the French re-
cruits Indeed, the French Minister of War
himself admits that tfe boards of medical ex-
animation have Sccerted as ''fit for military
vice. young men VIGOROUSLY incapable of sup
porting the hardships of active military rfe
These weakly youths fall i'll few months after
Joining the colors, especially as the time Of
year chosen by the French military authorities
for the recruits to begin their term of service
is the end of November. when the most trying
and inciement weather is likely to prevail The
report drawn up by VI. Marvaud shows that the
greatest mortality invariably occurs during the |
young mems first years service. The mortality |
varies greatly with the arm of service. For |
instance, in the engineers and artillery the |
death rate is only five per thousand, whereas in
the infantry II is ten per thousand This is |
attributed TO the higher physical standard OF |
admission required for the engineers and artil- |
lerymen. The death rates for the garrisons OF |
Paris and large cities such as Marseilles and |
Lyons, are considerably greater than with troops /
quartered in country districts. Typhoid fever |
IS the cause of one-third of the deaths in the |
French army; next comes tuberculosis, which |
accounts for la out of 1000 deaths, and then
follow bronchitis, pleurisy and bowel COM
plants
According TO the statistics supplied by DR..
Marvaud, the sanitary condition OF the German
army is superior TO that Of any other. The
sanitary condition of the French army, includ-
ing the troops stationed in Algeria, Tunis and
the colonies, is four times worse than that OF
the German army; but if only that portion of
the French army quartered in France be consid-
cred it is found that it comes second on the
health list after Germany. The following table,
complied by DR.. Marvaud. gives the health
rates of the principal armies of Europe in time
Of peace on the home stations:
German army for 1000 men there 80 deaths
rench army. for 1.000 men there are.---6I deaths
ustrlan army. for 1090 men there ares SO deaths
ltaisn army, for 1000 there 81 deaths
british army for leG0 there are % deaths |
Belgian army, for coo there .-39 deaths
Russian army, for 1000 there are.-..S9 deaths
Spanish army, for l0e5 there are-.--l35 deaths
II is pity that Dr. Marvauds table does not
give deatln ratc Irni%od Statas army