Palestine daily herald. [volume] (Palestine, Tex.) 1902-1949, 1905-10-07
UNCLE SANS
SOLDIER BOYS
Surgeon General O'Reilly Furnishes
Interesting Figures.
NONE BIT BY SNAKES.
Diseases Caused by Immoral Habits
Head the List of Admissions,
and Most Deaths Are the
Result of Pneumonia.

Washington, Oct. 7.-Surgeon Gen.
eral r. NJ. O'Reilly of the army has
submitted an exhaustive report on
health conditions of the army to Sec
rotary Taft. The report says the en-
listed strength OF the army as shown
7i0 and on the returns Of the military
secretary 60,139, and calculations are
made up on the latter figures. There
were 1856 admissions to the sick re-
port" during the year the 406 deaths
= from all causes and 1877 discharges
from disability. Figures. he says. show
a steady and progressive improvement
of the health of the army.
The report saws that by far the most
important diseases affecting the eff
cheney of the army during the year
have been those resulting from immor-
al habits. which caused l6 per cent OF
all admissions. This class of disease
advanced from third to first place In
the number Of admissions to the sick
report Teere are constantly on the
sick report for this class of diseases
us men. equal TO the loss for the en-
tire year of services of eleven full COM
panies of infantry.
THE control of these diseases" says
General O'Reilly lies largely in the
hands of civil authorities. and one OF
the most important steps to that end
would appear 10 be chasing them with
g. i
quirement that they shall be reported
as such and controlled by health de-
partments. In the military service a
similar course should be followed.
LAS to the cause of death. pneumo-
mia has advanced to FIRST place and
tuberculosis second.
There were 206 admissions for gum
shot wounds with forty four deaths.
and ESQ admissions for wounds other
than gunshot with fifteen deaths
Twenty one men were killed In action
and fortytwo wounded. or the killed
two were by gunshot. OF the wound
ed twenty-eig were by gunshot.
There were forty-five soldiers
drowned. IL per cent of the total deaths
from all causes. indicating how i'm
portant II is that all soldiers should
have systematic instruction In swim
ming. Twenty seven soldiers commit
ted suicide. Ten deaths were due to
homicide.
Notwithstanding that the large part
of the army was serving In the trop' ~
there was no admission for snake bite.
THE strength of the officers from
1921 from medical department reports
and 3s15 from military secretary.
There were 2276 admissions and twen-
ty-seven deaths.
Companions with foreign armies
show that the highest rate OF admis-
sions was in the American army and
the lowest In the Russian. The highest
death rate was In the American army
and the lowest in the Prusslan. The
highest nom effective rate was I'm the
American army and the lowest in the
Prussian.
THE very high proportion for alco- |
holism In the American army as COM
pared with that of the British is partly |
duo to the fact that In the latter SER |
vice only admissions to hospitals are
counted.
at is notable that while the British |
have less than half the American ad- |
mission rate for dysentery. their death |
rate is practically the same. and that |
while their ratio admission for malaria |
is about the same their death rate IS
nearly three times as great. The
American admission rate for malaria
is nearly eighty times that of the
French. while the death rate Is only
FIVE times as great. These facts point
out the difference In the method Of
computing admissions. The figures for
measles and humps compare very IN
favorably with the other armies except
the French.
THE strength of the s-my In the
Philippines was IL. 996 and there were
2246 admissions to the sick report and
los deaths. The strength of the Fiji
pino troops was 1910 and there were
5s42 admissions and 1913 d. sths"