Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-01-30
Bad Results From Tropical Service.

|
| Raising the age of naval recruits on
| first enlistment is advocated by the sur
geon general of the navy as means OF
removing the immaturity of the enlisted
personnel, which he declares to be one of
the chief causes of morbidity in the serv-
ice. In a recent report the surgeon gen
eral strongly condemns the practice of
| keeping ships SO long in warm climates
! and says that that custom must be
| changed if the efficiency of the personnel
| is to be maintained. This tropical serv-
| ice, he says, is one reason why the un-
developed youthful recruits SO often ap-
pear on the sick list
| Medical officers have learned to expect
after prolonged duty in the tropics. espe-
cially when continued with the restric-
tons and other factors of physical and
| mental mOnotony incident to ship life in
those ATTITUDES, he says, that the health
and vigor of the personnel will materially
deteriorate. Among the evidences of this
is a lessened resistance to infection in gen.
eral. The men, he says seem unable to
throw off even the simplest infections.
which in cooler climates would hardly
affect them. Boils and assesses seem
more frequent and run longer courses be-
| fore recovery. Infection OF slight abra-
sions results in cellulitis, which extends
| with great rapidity. Neurasthenia be-
and mental disturbances appear and
anemia and digestive disorders develop
The surgeon general says that most of
these cases can be traced to no other
cause than sthe insidious exhaustion of
physical vitality.
according to the surgeon general. great
Improvement could be effected If the
small gunboats on detached special serv-
ice in tropical waters could be more fire.
quently and regularly relieved and order
a6 north IN good mort where liberty
would be properly recreative and the
beneficial stimulus of invigorating
climate enjoyed He points out that it
was the common practice In yellow fever
days to send north all ships exposed to
the Infection.
Modifying the Physical Test.
The annual physical test for the army
and navy has been the subject of official
attention with view to changing the
conditions and intoxicating the habit Of
frequent daily exercise on the part of
members of the commissioned personnel.
The President has approved recommen-
dations made by the Secretary of the
Navy in favor of certain amplifications
of the requirement The physical test
applied to all officers on the active list
of the navy. whether serving ashore or
afloat, with certain exceptions, remain
as heretofore, with a fifty-mile walk.
ninety mile horseback ride, or the one
hundred-nlile bicycle ride in three days.
In the War Department the authorities
are giving consideration to q plan Of re-
curing regular exercise, such as a daily
walk of three miles in one hour or a daily
horseback ride of six or eight miles in
that time. This performance is to be an
average of six days week, and it may
be decided that the gait of the horse,
in the case Of the rider. shall be specified.
1t Is not proposed to do away with the
v>1,1 old ,Dh hot
be changed to require in the case
of cavalry officers a three-day ride of
100 miles in the aggregate. and in the
case OF other officers who elect to ride
the present distance of 80 miles in three
days.
Concrete Army Buildings.
Some interesting work is In progress at
Fort Mysr. Va. in the erection of two
buildings under new system of rein
forced concrete construction. The build
ings under construction are a stable OF
one story, about $50 feet in height, and a
storehouse Of smaller, dimensions. The
method involves constructing the walls
by means of steel forms placed fiat on
the ground, the completed wall, after
hardening, being lifted to its proper po-
sition. 1t is expected that a building
such as those under construction at Fort
Myer can be completed inside of a week
where it would take, perhaps, several
months to do the work by the old process
1t is stated there will be great saving
in the cost of such construction compa red
with the older methods. Capt. +. B. Ed
wards is in charge OF the work, which is
being done by the purchase of material
and the hire Of labor.
Glasses for Naval Marksmen.
Shooting glasses probably will be worn
by the members of the teams Of the navy