Imperial Valley press., 1918-03-28
ARMY
GROWS MORE
HEAL THF Ill
MEDICAL AUTHORITIES OF THE
FRENCH ARMY CITE INSTAN-
CES TO PROVE THAT MEN IN
TRENCHES ARE MORE SOUND
THAN AT START OF THE WAR.
All the Surroundings of the Soldier
in the Front Line Are Conducive
to Disease, Yet Their Health Re-
mains as Good as When at Home
With Doctor Nearby.
(By Associated Press)

French Front, Feb. % (By maiD--
French armies in the field are more
healthy than at the beginning of the
! war, say the medical reports. This is
attributed to hygienic precaution and
T the betterments introduced in the
housing and care Of he men.
Typhoid and analogous diseases have
become very rare. During the first
ten days of January this year, only
II cases were reported as the total
in all the French armies, whereas in
December, 1914, and January, 1915,
the average reached we'll over four
figures and was very disquieting. The
disappearance of these dangerous NAL
aides is attributed by the doctors to
the introduction at the end of Janu-
ary, 1915, of compulsory inocluation
of the troops with anti-typhoid Sc
rum.
The remarkable health of the SOL
diers in the field is the more strik-
ing when the conditions under which
they live when on active service in
the trenches is taken into considera-
ton. Then for weeks on end they
are subjected to the most severe tri-
ais. They execute all the numerous
chores inseparable from being cut off
from the usual life of mankind. In
every kind of weather they have to
bring up to the front lines supplies
! of food and ammunition. They have
to stand on guard in rain and snow and
mud for days at time.
When not on actual guard they
oass their time in crowded and damp
dugouts where the air is always bad.
At all times in the front line Sec
tors they are compelled to take their
rest while fully dressed and equipped
so as to be ready for call to fight.
Their food is brought to them by
comrades just as dirty as themselves,
and, as there are no opportunities to
wash, it is handled by hands covered
with mud and grease. In fact, all
the surroundings of the soldier in the
front line are such as to breed dis
ease, yet they seem rapidly to ac-
cusom themselves to them and to
maintain their health.
Even throat and chest troubles have
diminished among the troops, thanks
to the improved conditions in the rest
camps, where, on coming down from
the front lines, the soldiers are now
provided each with a trestle bed
raised from the ground, which is the
acme of comfort compared with the
bundle of damp straw usual in 1914
and 1915.
! Measles and scarlatina, which were
once so prevalent, break out now only
here and there. The report of the
ten days already mentioned tells OF
only SO cases Of measles and SO OF
scarlatina in the entire army.
Trench-feet, brought about by
standing in the freezing mud for days
at time in shoes which hinder the
circulation, are being combated sue
cessfully. The latest report shows
only 5S3 cases in ten days during the
coolest season, whereas in five days
of the same period last year no fewer
than 1881 cases were treated. For
merly amputation was resorted to very
frequently, but now the method of
treatment employed has done away
with this radical means.