Omaha daily bee., 1905-10-07
HEALTH CONDITIONS OF Army
Diseases from mineral Habits HSlds FirSt
Place Among sOldisrL
REPORT or THE SURGEON GENERA
Pneumonia Causes Most Deaths and
Tuberculosis Comes second
Highest Death Rate Found
I'm Americas Army.

WASHINGTON, oct s-Surgeon General
r. NJ. OReilly OF the army has submitted
an extensive report on the health con-
ditions Of the army to Secretary Taft. The
report says that the enlisted strength OF
the army as shown upon the monthly sick
reports was $3.50 and on the returns Of
the military secretary as 60.ise. and calou-
lations are made upon the latter figures.
There were 7s,5ss admissions to the sick
report" during the year. 4Os deaths from all
causes and LIT discharges for disability.
The figures, he says. show a steady and
progressive improvement in the health Of
the army. The report says that by far the
most important diseases affecting the
efficiency OF the army during the year have
been those resulting from isnmorsl habits.
1 which caused 16 per cent of all admissions.
I This class of diseases advanced from third
| TO first place In .,umber Of admissions to
\ the sick report There were constantly on
sick report for this class OF diseases us
| men, equal TO the loss for the entire year
OF the services OF eleven full companies OF
/ infantry.
Control of Disease.
The control Of these diseases" says
General O'Reilly, lies largely in the hands
Of the civil authorities and one Of the most
| important steps TO that end would appear
to be CHASING them with other Infectious
diseases and the requirement that they
shall be reported such and controlled
BY health departments.
Elm the military service a similar course
should be followed"
| As to causes of death. pneumonia ad-
vanced to first place and tuberculosis
second
There were sOs admissions for gunshot
wounds with forty-four deaths and 2Sso
admissions for wounds other than gun
shot, with fifteen deaths. Twenty-nine
men were killed In action and forty-two
wounded. OF the killed two were by gun
shots, Of the wounded twenty-eight were
by gunshot. There were forty-flve soldiers
drowned. IL per cent OF the total deaths
from all causes. indicating how important
IT is that all soldiers should have syste-
matte Instruction in swimming. Twenty
seven soldiers committed suicide: ten
deaths were due to homicide.
Statistics on Omeera.
The strength of oficers was 3,421 from
the medical department reports and ISIS
from the military secretary. There were
2,o2s admissions with twenty-seven deaths
Comparison with foreign armies shows
that the highest rate OF admissions is in
the American army and the lowest in the
Russian. The highest death rate was in
the American army and the lowest in the
Prussian. The highest noneffectve rate
was in the American army and the lowest
in the Prussian. Regarding these figures
General O'Reilly says:
The very high proportion for alcoholism
in the American army as compared witt
, that OF the British is partly due to tho
fact that in the latter service only ad
missions TO hospital are counted II Il
notable that while the British have lesi
, than half the American admission rate foi
dysentery their death rate is PRACTICAL!
the same. and that while their ratio o.
! admission for malaria Is about the sam,
their death rate is nearly three times a.
| great.
The comparatively high American dealt
A rate for tuberculosis is explained by thu
| fact that in the United States army tuber
| culosis patients are sent to a sanitariun
and retained in service for long periods
while in other armies they are prompt!
, | discharged.