Evening star., 1914-05-16
ARMY DOCTORS READY
FOR MEXICAN INVASION
Surgeon General Gorgas Tells Of
Preparedness to Ward Off
Disease.

Surgeon General William c. Gorgas OF
the army, discussing the sanitation prob
lens that will have to be faced by the
United States Army In case OF an actual
invasion Of Mexico. says the army ts
now in a much better position than 1t
was during the Spanish-American war.
IN such an army as might be mobil-
lied for service abroad" said Col Cor
gas. I'VE would expect some 10000 regu-
lars and twice as many volunteers. Of
the regulars all but the recruits will
average one to three years OF expert
ence that has taught them how to take
care of themselves in the field and
camp
Among the volunteers some consider
able experience exists as a result OF ma
neuver camps and the Spanish war
many veterans of that war being in the
militia The proportion of recruits will.
however be 80 to IS per cent Of the total
strength as far as experience IN tne
field is concerned There will be. there
fore. a considerable proportion Of green
men to be taught camp sanitation as
well as given military instruction.
Know Value of Sanitation.
Much OF this will be given in concen-
tration camps Fortunately, most OF the
officers of the volunteers will be men
who are impressed with the value OF
sanitation IN the field. They and the
regular officers and older soldiers Will
quickly instruct the new men In the
habits SO essential to health in camp.
There exists then, a yeast to leaven
the whole that was absent in 1898. Since
that eventful year the officers of the
medical department of the army have
been studying and practicing military
hygiene and sanitation with brilliant re-
suits, as demonstrated in the two large
camps in Texas. Here 10000 men lived
for year at a time with SICK rate
lower than that at the average post.
Better vet. the officers of the line, I'M
pressed with the value of the lessons in
camp sanitation, have been enthusiastic
supporters of these advances and are
hardly second to medical officers in their
knowledge and experience in such mat
ters. The army. then. IS in an entirely
different position than at the outbreak
Of the Spanish war. The 10000 cases
OF typhoid that then puzzled and dis
tressed the people of this country will
not reappear as specters in our camps
as a sign Of sanitary incompetence
Typhoid Horror Ended.
''Anti-typhoid incubation. which has
been in vogue in the army since 1909
and which so efficiently protected it in
1919 lndI IneEe was nut one case among
the inoculated in the army of $1,000, is
TO be trusted to keep our camps free of
this disease SO fatal to armies of the
past.
yellow fever is robbed Of much Of its
terror by the facts learned in 1895 by
Reed and his devoted band, which
taught US the means of transmission
and consequently the manner OF avoid
ing II.
Thus. forewarned We are forearmed
and enter any campaign confident of our
ability and in the sanitary training of
the line TO feel that We can exist in the
campaign IN a state of .hygienic COM
petence that The disabilities OF the war
will be limited. for the first time in the
history of the new world. TO wounds and
that disease will not kill more than bull
cts The American people will have
what they should have for the generous
support given every year-the most ef-
ficient army OF Its size IN the world