Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1918-09-20
Army Health Rate Best In History


eradicated the scourge of disease. which
in previous wars caused more deaths than
shrapnel and sword.
The credit side of the army's health
ledger carries table of lower percentages
An American soldier of today takes his
chance on the firing line rather than in
hospital or a mess hall where impure food
is served. Our armies at home and abroad
are not menaced by embalmed beef scan
dals, such as occurred during the Spanish
American war. Typhoid is almost I'M
known on the battle field and in training
camps. Mortality from pneumonia is re-
markably low. Social diseases no longer
seriously menace the effectiveness of Anne
rican armies.
A recent report from the office of the
Surgeon General Of the army discloses that
for the past two months the average death
rate on account of disease was only 2.8
per thousand. This report covers both the
American Evolutionary Forces and the
training camps at home.
This means that out of each thousand
men under arms during that period less
than three men died of disease. The man
in civil life would hardly ask greater odds
against death.
| Comparative figures covering the past
wars of the United States show that in
these conflicts disease killed more men
and many more mcmillan bullets. The
chances were against the seriously wound
ed soldier. as they were against the man
stricken with fever or other diseases incl
dent to camp life or contested surround
ings.
Sanitation, food inspection, studies in
nutrition. sterilization, watchfulness from
the moment selectman enters training
camp until he goes into the front-line
trenches. and then more watchfulness and
attention, are responsible for the creditable
record Of the Army Medical Department.
II the gods Of battle spare their son, the
American mother and father today need |
have but little anxiety about disease. The |
army guards the health of its mel first
because 1t is its duty to them; again be-
cause battles can be won only by well |
men.
With the disease records Of the Spanish
American war comparatively fresh in
mind there was nationwide concern re-
earding disease protection when this war
came. 1t has disappeared. for here the
record speaks
In hn Nha Il liz
ease rate was no men died of disease TO
is killed in battle-more than seven to
one.
In the armies OF the North during the
Civil War Q861-65) IS died of disease to
SO killed in battle-a disease mortality
substantially double the battle mortality.
In the Spanish American war Q89S)
20 died of disease to killed in battle. a
ratio Of more than five to one. Typhoid
fever, reduced to almost zero in the Anne
rican armies Of to-day. claimed most of
those who died Of illness instead of in
conflict.
During the first ten months Of American
participation in the present world war there
has been parity between the low death
rate from battle and the death rate from
disease.
Where eight men have died of disease
eight men have been killed in battle. with
a combined mortality which, IL projected
throughout the year, would be only little
more than half Of the battle mortality and
less than a third of the disease mortality
of the Civil War.
Approaching the statistics from diff
ferent angle. health rate so far unsur-
passed has been established by the Ameri-
can armies overseas and at home. With
approximately three million men under
arms, military funerals because of disease
are fewer day by day than the funerals in
an American city of three million popua-
ton.
For the last week in July, for instance.
the combined reports Of the American Ex-
peditionary Forces and of troops stationed
in the United States. showed an annual
death rate for disease Of 10 per thousand
less than two men per thousand per year.
!
men Of military age in civil life is 81 per
thousand.
Thus man in the army appearsto have
three times the better chance to stay we'll
in the army than when about civil pursuits.
This new army rate, at that time based
on an Approximate strength OF 100000
men. was established when large bodies of
American troops were living under most
abnormal conditions. They were partici-
patine in the heavy fighting on the Marine
salient and slept and ate under arduous
and almost primitive conditions.
That this record for one week was not
an isolated favorable one is shown by re-
ports made by the SURGEON General in
the middle Of August. covering the pre-
ceding two months. The average death
rate per thousand from disease during
those two months was 2.8.
The progress Of military sanitation is
revealed through other comparative figures
on the per thousand basis:
During the Mexican war the annual
death rate from disease was 100 per
1000. During the Civil War the rate was
40 per 1000 in 1862 and it jumped to 80
per 1000 the following year. The disease
death rate for the Spanish American war
was rs per 1000.
As far as available records 90 the lowest
rate heretofore established in any of the
armies of the world was that Of the Russo
japanese war, when the rate was 20 per
1000 men.
in the Crimean war;" said Surgeon
General Gorsas recently. "one-fourth OF
the French army. or 100000 men. died
OF disease. In the Russo-Japanese war
the daath rate was brought down IN about