The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-05-20
DISEASE AND BULLETS IN WAR.
Proportion Of Dcaths From These Causes
In Recent Campaigns.
From The London HospIai.

From the London Hospiioi.
1T 10 a commonplace Of history. eorrobo-
rated and confirmed by the experiences Of
almost every campaign. alike In civilized
and In uncivilized countries. no less In mod
ern than in ancient times. that disease is q
more potent element Of warfare than the
weapons Of the enemy" So writes DR..
Thomas F. Dewar In an admirable essay.
IL Is a surprising circumstance that. In
spite Of the general recognition accorded
by history TO the influence OF epidemic dis
ease In swaying the fortunes Of G campaign.
In spite of the immense power for the miti-
CATION OF such diseases which the advance
OF bacteriology and epidemioloay has put
within our reach, 90 little serious effort has
been expended against the pestilences tpar-
ticularly typhoid fever and dysentery) which
have always stalked In the wake Of armies
in the field. How different has been our
success In preventing In practice diseases
which are prominently preventable In theory.
is shown by the recent record OF the South
African war. This campaign extended over
a period Of thirty three months. Precise
figures are not yet available, but Or. Dewar
considers that IL may be said with a close
approximation to accur acy that the death
rate from disease was 60 per 900 OF the total
number Of troops engaged, while the death
rate from wounds was 10 per l 900, Excluding
cases OF Immediately fatal wounds II appears
that the cases admitted TO hospital for sick
ness outnumbered those admitted for wounds
by no less a margin than 20 to l..
II our own experience Is not convincing
enough, there Is no lack OF corroboration.
Among the Ere oh troops engaged In the
Crimea rs, 900 died of disease and but 20 1000
Of wounds; in the French expedition to NADIA
rascar In 1895 only seven men were killed by
the enemy. but out OF a total Of $4,000 en-
gagged there fell to maladies contracted on
service no fewer than 1900. or aim ost So per
cent.
Upon two occasions only does history tell
Of a campaign In which the disease death
rate was lower than the wound death rate.
or these occasions the first was the Franco
PrussiAn war Of 1901. during which the
deaths from disease amounted to is.e per
1000, while the deaths from wounds reached
1871 per 1000. This, however. Ii explained
by the AUTHOR Of the essay under notice on
the score OF the brevity OF the campaign, the
constant movement Of the troops and the
favorable character Of the season OF the
year. None Of these benign characteristics
marked the second ard great exception
t. the rule. the present army Of Japan.
Throughout a long and arduous campaign.
conducted under climatic conditions Of quite
exceptional rigor. the Jap nese are reckoDed
to have lost by sickness 1890 men, as against
$3.50 killed In battle or subsequently dead
Of injury. Much remains 10 be done before
We can hor to vie with the excellence Of the
military hygiene Of the Japanese. aud all
students OF the question may DO commended
to DR.. Dewar's essay. which ernbodies q wide
personal experience OF military service with
O practical moderation too rarely sesn In
specialists. =