Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-10-07
Improvement at Manila.
Racial Prevalence of Disease.

Racial Prevalence of Disease.
The enrolment of about 5000 native Fill
pino scouts having added a new racial ele-
ment to the army, it becomes matter of
much interest. says General O'Reilly, to
study the comparative effects of disease on
them and on our white and colored troops.
For the whole army, at home and abroad,
during the year 1902 the white troops
showed an admission rate of 1,7O6.33 per
thousand and death rate of 14.4O. The
negro troops had 1897 "A admissions and
"a. IL deaths per thousand, and the Malay
scouts 1,7O721 admissions per thousand and
2l.W deaths The white race therefore,
gave the lowest figures in sickness and
much the lowest mortality. The black race
led in both, although the Malay closely APP
preached it in death rate.
In admissions for consumption the Fill
pinos exceeded slightly the white men, but
fell far below the negro troops. In small
pox no great difference in prevalence was
observed, although the Filipino troops led
In typhoid fever the Malay rate for admis
sion and death was only one-fourth of the
white at home and abroad
Malarial diseases throughout the entire
army caused a very much greater percent
age of sickness and death among Philip
pine scouts than among either white or
colored soldiers of American birth. The
white and colored rates did not greatly
vary, being 2I2.S2 and 2Il 9S admissions per
thousand. respectively, and mortality of
only OBS and 0.25 per thousand while
among the native scouts TOT 81 admissions
per thousand to sick report were caused by
malaria and 1.6G men per thousand died.
Aslauc cholera, which caused 412 cases
and 2.S5 deaths for each thousand white
soldiefs In the army, showed 15.6S admis
sions and I.3i deaths per thousand in the
negro regiments and 1853 admissions and
lo1o deaths per thousand for Filipino
troops When allowance is made for the
1.lr Cp. al,N,.
states and not exposed to cholera the rates
Tor races do not so greatly differ
OF venereal diseases the scouts showed
only a little more than one-fourth preva-
lence compared with white troops, and
slightly more than one-sixth the coIored
rate y considerable number of the scents
are, however, married men.
Filipinos Generally Temperate.
The freedom of the Filipino from the vice
OF drunkenness is strikingly shown by the
statement that out of 5000 men only three
individuals were treated for alcoholism in
one year, and that while white soldiers
were admitted to sick report on account of
their own misconduct In the use of alcohol
at the rate OF 24lS per thousand and
colored troops at the rate of III the
Malay scouts showed the extremely small
admission rate of OG2 per thousand
without going further into specific dis
eases. says General O'Reilly. it seems. gen
orally speaking, that Filipino troons on,
coed greatly both white and black in in
fecuous diseases, excepting dysentery and
typhoid fever. and that including these last
they are much less subject to diseases af
fectlng the digestive organs
In diseases of the nervous system (excIud
ing berl-berl as an infectious disease) tba
difference is even greater, the, prevalence
among Malay soldiers being only about
one fourth of the white rate
Diseases of the circuatory and resnira-
tory systems, the genito- urinary system
the Emphatic system, diseases of the mus
cles, bones and Joints, the eye, ear. nose
and throat also the unclassified diseases
vary In different degrees for the different
races, but in all the Filipino scouts show
the smallest rate, while in skin diseases
they lead the others
The native of the Philippines ea.s and
drinks with comparative impunity articles
of food and foul water, the use of which
by. white men is disastrous but he has no
such immunity to cholera, and it is found
that In the recent epidemic the admission
and death rates in 1902 for native troops
greatly exceeded those of the white SOL
diers, although the American negroes were
the greatest sufferers of all
Ever since the American occupation of
the Philippines. says the surgeon general the
health of the forces there serving has been
mainly affected, first by malarial feyers
and results, second by dysentery and diar-
rheal diseases, and third by dengue and
character. In 1902 cholera appeared and
made heavy impression on the rates of
sickness and death.
Asiatic Cholera.
Cholera in the Philippines in 1902 caused
for the whole army an admission rate of
six per thousand of strength and a death
rate of 3.54. For the force serving In the
Pacific Islands. which alone was exposed.
the admission rate was 1884 and the death
rate 1851 per thousand. The total number
of cases was 4S5 and the deaths 256, pro-
portion OF l death to 1.69 cases
This terri ible disease had not appeared
among our troops for thirty-six years.
when it caused in 1856 the sickness of sI3
men, of whom l 800 died. For troops ex
posed there were 211.9 admissions per thou
sand and 94.4 deaths, and again in 1867
there were seventy-one admissions and
thirty-two deaths per thousand for all ex-
posed troops The malignancy of the dis
ease was not as great in those years as in
the present Philippine epidemic.
General O'Reilly says that the success at
tanned in protecting the lives of United
States troops, surrounded as they were
nit f1,n