BRITISH ARMY IN BED.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 12931, 29 July 1905, Page 2 (Supplement)

BRITISH ARMY IN BED.

nearly' TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND HOSPITAL admissions.

Average strength of British (Euio 242,182 Total"number of admissions to . hos- lg3 sgß jffsfc l£S«v « M « ColSy VAS'. hom Amit US

Thesk remarkable figures are given m the report for 1903 of the Army Medical Department. It will be seen that the hospital admissions cover more than half the strength of the entire army, and they represent a ratio of 758 invalids in every 1000 soldiers. Tested by the duration of the illnesses the statistics show that between 21 and 22 days have to be struck off the year's service of every soldier in the army. When it is remembered that soldiers are picked men; choser by physical tests from the healthiest age periods, and are, therefore, without several of the imperfections which, mark a promiscuous mass of the class whence they are selected, these figures assume a very startling inspect. Moreover, the diseases which mainly cause those 183,598 hospital admissions are such as are due to careless violation of the laws of hygiene, to diseases that are preventable by sanitation, proper feeding, and decently regulated lives. Soldiers in peace time have every advantage of sanitation, good.food, physical discipline, and regularity of habits; vet the DirectorGeneral of the Medical Department in this report sets in the forefront of " principal causes" of the 183,598 admissions preventable maladies, and diseases of the digestive system, diseases of the skin, diseases, of the respiratory system, ' and typhoid fever. It is reasonable to suppose that these are the causes which in a well-governed army should have the fewest victims. The Army Medical Department's report, however, says: "The admission rate compares favourably with that of other armies." It appears that the, average for the ten years 1893-1902 was 927 per 1000; the 1902 ratio was 751 per 1000, as against the 758 per 1000 in 1903. Taking separately the troops serving in the United Kingdom the ratio was 586 per 1000, compared with the decennial period's ratio Qf 682 per 1000. In Canada the admissions to hospital were as low as 328 per 1000. Of the 110,565 men who form the average strength of the troop} quartered in the United Kingdom 3895 were constantly sick, representing nearly 13 days off the year's service of every soldier. During the year-451 died, and there were 32 suicides. The invalids discharged from service numbered 2888. The highest proportion of illness and invaliding was among soldiers from 20 to 25 years of age. Tested according to length of service, the highest proportion of illness affected soldiers of less than one year's service. The unliealthiest arm of the service was the Foot Guards. Their admissions to hospital were at an annual ratio of 684 per 1000. They also have the unenviable distinction of supplying the highest invaliding rate, with 43 per 1000. " Constant inefficiency," the Army Medical Department declares, " was highest in the Foot Guards, with a ratio of 60.18." Out of 69,553 recruits inspected during ISO 3 there were 22,382 rejected as unfit, and 1022 were discharged. as physically unfit after three months' service. The three chief causes of rejection were loss or decay of many teeth, deficient chest measurement, and defective vision..