Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1914-10-22

transports and the remainder within ten
days Of landing, so that Porto Rico was
responsible for none Of them
Port Arthur reports showed that 5000
Of the Russians were III of ecurvy at the
Icapitulation in 1905. and larger per-
centage had scorbutic complications due
to short rations. BY contrast the Japan
csc war office gave percentages from
an entire army corps, showing wounds
received in action 1853 per cent, typhoid
fever Lei per cent, dysentery 19j per
cent; all other diseases APO per cent
In General Okus army Of 1900 men only
.66 cases Of typhoid developed between
october of 1904 and April Of 1906; and
of 2,1H men invaded home in the war
only 1873 had typhoid fever General
KuroN'- army showed only nine cases
of typhoid In n total sick list of G,00G
This record was made before there was
any serum incubation. In the Boer war
the English invaded home $1,000 typhoid
patients between 1899 and 1902
HEALTH OFFICER o'CONNELI.
Speaking of the toll that disease will OK
act from the present war. Dr. j. J. OCon-
nell, health officer of the port of New
York, said:
! Not to expect disease to grow out of
the conditions of war would be to close
! our eyes to the unbroken experience of the
i world Every war has this black shadow
| In the congregation Of men in cities civili-
cation can provide the physical means Of
sanitation, but in the congregation Of men
in camps the difficulties of providing these
are Immensely Increased. and actual bat
| tie conditions often make them insuper-
! able In this war such conditions seem TO
: he constant There Is no armistice, no
| breathing spell allowed to sanitarians t.
| apply Such means Of prevention as are
| possible under the circumstances Of war
! Beyond all doubt the trained and highly
! intelligent public health experts of tho
governments involved are working hero
icaly to minimize one of the horrors of
armed conflict but their side of the work
is not the side that fills the thought of the
directing power.
/ THE desperate nature of this war IS
without precedent. The immense cost IN
blood and treasure of modern war and tho
certainty of national exhaustion within a
short period constrain governments TO de-
vote nearly all their energies to destruc-
tive work. The blows delivered against
the enemy must be swift and terrific. be-
| cause the enemy must be destroyed or
paralyzed before inevitable exhaustion
financial, physical and PSYCHOLOGICAL
cripples the striking arm. Every nation
feels that II must win in n short time. for
a long war such as this is unbelievable
SANITATION HAMPERED.
Under these conditions 1t will be
readily understood that sanitary pre-
! cautions must be greatly hampered and
! IN many cases completely abandoned
/ mere are reports, some of them an
thoritatlve and some of them not Of
ncially confirmed but quite plausible in
the light of what we know, which IN
| dlcate that the enErossng idea of the
oelllgerent governments Is to rnnlct dam
| age and to allow no exercise of humane
! Instincts to interfere with the Immediate
destructive efficiency of any military
unit. 1t Is reported that in both ar
niles operating In France the hospital
and sanitary service has broken down
under the tremendous strain put upon
IT, the long range and terrific effect
of the fire of the opposing forces
keeping the medical corps far to the
rear of the trenches in which millions
of men are living and lighting
Every medical man who has read
OF the conditions In France and Bel
GUM knows how likely is an outbreal.
of typhoid at this point The
prophylactir measures against typhoid
which have been taken in the armies
Of all civilized countries within the
last few years might be expected in
n struggle of less magnitude to
minimize this danger. but II must be
remembered that in this war the regular
| troops constitute but portion Of the
men engaged, and there has been no
! time In the amazingly swift mobiliza-
/ ton Of the armies to immunize the re-
servists who were called to the flag by
hundreds of thousands These men are
lighting in trenches half full OF water.
with the unrcmoved dead and wounded
! lying all around them. 1t is reported
/ that immense swarms of flies have been
bred in this weller of corruption. 1t
doesn't need the mind of an expert to
comprehend the danger here.
WORSE ON EASTERN FRONTIER.
The reports from the eastern from
tier Of the war are even more alarm
| Ing. The battle line on that side
passes down through the center OF
! Europe, touching the countries OF the
near east which have In recent years
been subject to cholera epidemics.
! Following the Balkan war cholera
overran Turkey, Greece. the Balkan
States, part of Russia and the eastern
half of the Austro- Hungarian empire,
one hundred and forty-seven cases
were reported in Bosnia and Herze-
govina in August, September and Oc-
tober of 1913 534 cases appeared In
Croatia and Slavonia, scattered cases
In Bohemia, Dalmatia and Galicia. and
6O5 cases in the hungarian provinces.
In bulgaria between August 25 and
! october 27 there were 10.9S7 cases
with 1917 deaths. Roumania between
August ] and November II reported a
total of $3.50 cases with 2.926 deaths
SerVia in about the same period re-
ported 4.792 cases and 1928 deaths,
The Russian reports were not com
plete but were sufficient to indicate
the serious character of the outbreak
in that country.
vigorous efforts on the part of sanitary
authorities combined HE