The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-11-12
DEATH RATE
 IN THE ARMY Report of Surgeon Gen.
 eral 0'Reilly. HEALTH OF THE SOLDIERS Slight Increase of Tuberculosis Is
 Shown. Condition in tine Philippines Has Isa- proved--The Medical Depurtmest
 Is SorrIy in Need os
 cfTaeern.

Washington. Nov, 1.-The report upon the work of the medical depart ment of the army by Surgeon General R. NJ. OReiliy. which has just been made public at the War Department. goes Into great detail concerning the service during the calendar year 1905. and also compares the health of the different armies of the world as far as possible in view of the different con- ditions of each army.
 The United States and Great Britain are the cnly countries whose statistics include the part Of the army serving outside of the home country. Many of cause their sick are promptly dis charged or retired and die out of the service instead of on the sick report.
 The highest rate of admission to the sick report Is held by the Dutch army. whose rate is 1921 per thousand men; ; with the American army ranking sec ond. with 12.95, and the Russian army holding the lowest rate of S.4S pee thousand men.
 The British army ranks first in the death rate with ' IS deaths per thous ; and men. the American army having the next highest 6.2S. The Prussian army has the lowest rate, per thous. and men.
 An important factor in judging the relative healthfulness of the different armies is the average duration of each case of sickness, the American army according to this standard, expelling all others except the Dutch and Bavarian The average duration of each case In the United States army is less than one-half of that of the British.
 The average duration of each case In the United States army is less than one-half of that of the British and q little more than one-half of the span ish army.
 With regard to special diseases. the admission rates in the army were oet- ter than in most other armies Tn the following instance: Bronchitis, pleu- risv. pneumonIa, tuberculosis, erysipe' las. sunstroke. relapsing fever. searle- tina and trachlma. The American army however, exceeded all other ar mics irl alcoholism and dysentery.
 The surgeon general states that the total number of admissions to the sick report during the year was 7s,744, equal to an admission rate of 1,295.S7 per thousand men compared with 1,354.88 tha previous year and 1.193.31 for the sexenniai period from 1898 to 1903. The death rate was also much better than for the previous year, there being 36S deaths from all causes, equivalent to 6.2S per thousand, as compared with SIS for the previous year, and 716 for the six year period.
 TThere was an increase in the dis charges for disability which numbered l.464 or at the rate of twenty-five per thousand men, as compared with 2Z.9 crease is accounted for by the new sys- tenn of recruiting, many men now be- ing discharged after enlistment who woull formerly have been rejected be- fore enlistment.
 k,,h Tol with a rate of O.6S, slight increase as compared with the previous year.
 In a chapter devoted to recruiting, the report shows that the proportion of foreign born white recruits was slightly larger than last year, l46.12 per thousand, as against 14O.S2 Tor 1904. As ,the result of the minimum age for enlistment, from 2l years 60 IS. there resulted an enlistment of i.- 21O men under 20 years of age. A comparison of the health of the colored troops with that of the white troops, is given in the report, and with the exception of the death rate, all the other rates were lower for the color ed troops than for the white troops.
 In speaking of the health of the troops in the Philippines, the report says that all the rates except the death rate for disease, were lower than in 1904.
 Again this year. all the rates except the death rate, were considerably low CT for Filipino than for American troops. The death rate total and dig ease only was, however, much higher among the FiIiplnos. Undue prevail ence among the Filipinos of tubercu- losis and beri-beri is given as the ex- plsnation for this.
 Surgeon General O'Reilly states that the Medical Department is badly in need of officers, and that unless Con- gress comes to its assistance, 1t will be impossible for the department to reach a high degree of efficiency, or to escape a lamentable breakdown on the occurrence of war.