The Washington times., 1903-10-07
STATISTICS IN REPORT
OF SURGEON GENERAL
Native Scouts of Archipelago
Subject to Malarial Dis
eases in Much Greater
Proportions.

Neither the negro nor the Filipino
has the power to resist cisease found in
the Caucasian. This is SHOWN clearly
in the annual report just lssuei by Sur
geon General r. NJ O'Reilly. of the
army.
With the enrolment of 5000 native
Filipino scouts in the army a new racial
element has been added. AMI il becomes
matter of great interest 10 study the
comparative effects of disease on the
Filipinos and the white and negro troops
For the whole army, at home and
abroad. in the year 1902, there were
1,70e applications for trea mept in every
1000 white soldiers. and I44J deaths.
The negro troops had 1914 admissions
to treatment, and 24.11 deaths per coo.
and the Malay scouts had 1,7972I adrnis-
sions. and 24.O4 deaths per 1000
Filipino Hard to Hurt.
In injuries the Filipino soldiers were
singularly fortunate. having an admis-
sion rate OF only 1857 per thousand.
mucn less than one-half the colored rate.
1925. and scarcely more than a third
of the white rate, 211.I4 Their entire
mortality from injury was from g,lnshot.
men in all. Certain infectious diseases.
rare at all times in the army and not
common in the Philippine Islands. did
not occur among the scouts. such as
scarlet fever, diphtheria, and cerebro-
spinal fever. On the other hand. their
percentage of measles was about half
that OF the white troops, and the preva-
lence of mumps was over twice as
great. In admissions for consumption
they exceeded slightly the white men.
but fell far below the negro troops. In
smallpox no great difference in preva-
lence was observed, although the Fill
pino troops led. In typhoid fever the
Malay rate for admission and death was
only one-fourth of the white at home
and abroad.
Malarial diseases throughout the en-
tire army caused a very much greater
percentage OF sickness and death among
philippine scouts than among either
white or colored soldiers of American
birth The white and coIored rates did
admissions per thousand. respectively,
and a mortality Of only O3S and OLA
per thousand, while among the native
scouts 707.84 admissions per thousand
to sick report were caused by malaria
and 1-66 men per thousand died. Dengue
was also more prevalent among the
scouts.
Cholera and Beri-Beri.
Asiatic cholera, which caused Az
cases and 2.s3 deaths for each thousand
white soldiers in the army, showed 15.C
admissions and 1876 deaths per 1000 in
the negro regiments, and 1858 ad-
missions and 1918 deaths per LOCO for
Filipino troops. When allowance is
made for the large number OF white SOL
diers in the United States and not ex-
posed TO cholera. the rates for races do
not so greatly differ
The one infectious disease which was
almost entirely confined to the soldiers
Of Malayan blood is beri-beri. Scarcely
ly known among white troops, slightly
more common in colored. IL caused an
admission rate among the native scouts
Of 1882 per 1000 and a death rate OF
sol per 1000. exactly one-quarter of
their entire mortality for the year.
The freedom of the Filipino from the
vice OF drunkenness is strikingly shown
in that out Of 5000 men only 8 indi-
viduals we're 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 PATS per 600,
and colored troops at the rate of 11.7O.
the Malay scouts showed the extremely
small admission rate OF O.s2 per 1000.
Where Malay Is Strong.
In resisting gastric and intestinal
diseases cholera excepted the Malay
soldier appears. from the records OF
1902. TO have a great advantage over
both the white and colored Americans.
To dysentery, acute and chronic. he Is
apparently subject to one-third the ex-
tent of hts white comrade. to other
diarrheal diseases less than one-half.
and he has about the same proper