THE FIT AND THE UNFIT

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LIII, Issue 17, 22 January 1919, Page 7

THE FIT AND THE UNFIT

AIOIIE ' ABOUT THE RECRUITS.

WHY MEN WERE REJECTED'.

Attention has been drawn already to the national value of the information that has been gathered by the Defence Department, in the course of ■ recruiting during the war period. More than 200,000 men have passed thrpugh the hands of medical officers, and the records ox their physical condition (are available for classification a ; nd study. The facts that have been gathered throw a great deal of light upon the health of tho people of New Zealand. They ought to receive the closest possible examination by experts in order that remedies may bo found, if possible, for the weaknesses that have been revealed. Some of the facts about the health of tho men of New Zealand are made clear in statistics that have been prepared by the medical branch of the Defence Department, says the Dominion. The branch has prepared an “ana.ysis of the results of the medical examination of reservists drawn in ballot, up to the completion of tho First In vision' ballots. This analysis deals, with 71-177 men. The actual number of First Division reservists drawn in the ballots was 80,083. and it appears that of these fewer than 70,000 wore produced' for medical examination. Ihe number struck off as aliens, dead, absent from New Zealand, in prison, and so forth was 7729, and some other men escaped examination owing to appeal* having been allowed. The apparent discrepancy seems to be duo to the fact that the medical branch has included in its returns volunteers who had' not been drawn in tho ballot. Tho medical classifications were as follow; — . ;

A—Fit for active service. * 331, Fit for active after treatment in camp or hospital. for active service after treatment and recovery at borne. iOl Likely to become fit for active ser vice after special 1 training. 02 Unfit for active service, but fit lor service in New Zealand in connection with the war, j)_Unflt for any service at all. The 71,177 men mentioned above were classified as follow in the four military districts;— Wgtn. Audi. 1 8,910 6,767 ■ni 69 ■TW V" 771' 303 ci 692 . 753 02 12,395 9,947 1) : 1,661 274 Totals ... 24,601 18.113 Cant. 'Otacro. A 5,512 4,103 B1 205 108 ]32 300 267 .ci ;;; 46? 349 C 9 .... 9.643 , 6.661 T) "506 263

? Tdtdls .... 16,622 “■ 11,841Dominion Totals. A ..25,282 p,l ■ 654 B2 1,<541 Cl ' -• 2,261 02 Total 71,177

Tho following, table shows the medical classification of the reservists who were rejected Group A (fit for active service). It includes men /'-'ho were classed 81, 82, 101, €2, and 0. Tho figures deal still with f96 men who tailed to pass Fit A during the medical examination of the /1 } 1U reservists- dealt with in the figures already quoted J—. Defects 'of upper extremities i 491 Defects of lower extremities ™ Under height /Jq Under chest measure Insufficient w r eight Over height 14Q Syphilis T Other venereal disease Tubercle of lung > AU Other tubercular disease Impaired constitution and debility 1&14 Other general diseases EU Malformation of chest and spine 644 Impediment of speech . "2 Other diseases of nervous system Defective intelligence 3957 Defective vision I'VTiB Ear disease and deafness Valvular diseases of heart JJg, Other diseases of heart 2052 gSS .1 tat 3 (except tubercle, » Other respiratory diseases- 2231? Hernia „ “ 17 Loss or decay of many teeth Diseases of digestive syst ra Haemorrhoids _ _ V.io Diseases of, urinary organs Varicocele 026 Diseases of Joints Other of bones & muscles 540 Ulcers, ‘wounds and cicatrices - Other affections of cutaneous system Goitre- 434 Epilepsy 11535 Rheumarism, sciatica & lumbago 1144. Alcoholic 2852 Not. classified

T , , 45.796 Th 6° interest, and importance of these furures are exceedingly great, ine retSlia reveal conditions that require investigation knd ty* be capable of improvement ; emphasise the point made y minion in an earlier artrde, that information gathered m th° course the recruiting camimign dught and studied os y,. V sel The Mrfical B^ch. *ch g bUra wolt wol, > ? h< 2. 14 ttiSL toancho/to oraer, to oel n. cal Board on the one hand a Sections T f h rom o ig f nal elassihcahand. inc ongui i : many tion was changed, s 9 though these thousands of cases v f°Xct the changes would a Jjf 0 Medical point issue materially from f that they of view it is highly j Ufl t should. tracf m + which branch does the work Th" is engaged now in the compilation of to the reservists examined bv r>r.i boards after the close of the Birm Dhadon ballots. The Second Division men called by ballot At ff A (fno i'’. v*, 0 * O nss B (one child), and 23,676 of Chm G (two children!. During the same oeriod manv thousands of hirst Division 19 and 20-year-old youths were examined.