The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-09-29
Present US. Army In
 Splendid Condition
Physical Checkups Place Present Military Units
 in Superior Position Over Forces of l0l7-l9lS

maintained at such Q high level" the statistlcians say. This reflects both the careful selection of the men and the high quality of the medical supervision and care pro- vlded for them"
 "There are several diseases in which extraordinary improvement has been recorded in our new army, as compared with the draft army of i9l7-i9l8," the statisticians eX~ plain. In the fall of 19l7-l9l8, some camps were swept by serious epi- denies of measles, humps, and the upper respiratory infections, while there were local outbreaks of epi- d mic meningitis. Measles incl dence, for instance, reached q peak rate ol nearly 240 per 1000 per year in November 1917, and the death rate for that month from this dts- ease was five per 1000. In con- trast, the maximum rate of measles incidence in the present army vas 57 per 1000 In March l94l, and has recently fallen to one per 1000. Moreover, the measles mortality m the new army is negligible, while in 19l7-l9l8 1t was major cause of death among the soldiers,
 The admission rate for humps in the l94l army is currently un- der five per 1000 per, year, and the peak rate in April was l7.7. In contrast, in 19l7-l9l8 the peak rate was over 200 per 1000 in January and February 1918, and then fell to about 25. Cases of epidemic men, ingitis are now comparatively rare in the army and the number of deaths quite small, In l9l7-l9l8, death came to nearly one third Of the much larger number of men who contracted the disease. Mor- tality from influenza and pneu- monia in the present army Is low.
 "The relatively low rate from venereal diseases as compared with the World war period shows the feasibility of their control, and even' lower rates may be achieved by close cooperation of military and public health officials and volun- tary agencies, combined with the more adequate provision of recrea- tional facilities in the areas where the new army camps are located" the statisticians say.
 Pointing out that the incidence of injuries and the mortality from them are major items Iii the health picture of the new army, the statis- ticians explain that this is to be expected in view of the nature oG military service, the importance of mechanized equipment today, md the large-scale maneuvers with such equipment under conditions Simu- lating war. 'The incidence of ad- missions to sick call on account of injuries since November" they explain, "has averaged l50 per T. GOO per year, and the trend has been upward in recent months. The death rate from injuries between November l940 and May averaged l3 per 1000, or appreciably above the death rate from disease. This figure, however, Is lower than the rate in the regular army in the past few years, and not much diff ferent from that among the re- cruits of l9l7-l9l8.
 "The health record of Americas s new army up to the present has been gratifying, especially since the very conditions of military train Ing have clements of extra risk, both from disease and injury, which arc not present in ordinary civil- ian life. The American people may look forward with confidence to Q continued record of good health among our soldiers, in so far as 1t lies within the power of the army and Its medical staff"