HEALTH IN THE NAVY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15501, 7 January 1914, Page 5

HEALTH IN THE NAVY.

THE DEADLY NORTH SEA.

WORSE THAN CHINA STATION.

[from orn ow.v coaaEsroNDENT.]

London. November 25. It is an extraordinary fact that the Norta Sea station of the British fleet (that is. Home waters) is the most unhealthy in the whole service. The director-general of the medical department of the Navy (Surgeon General A. W. May, C.8.) states that despite the absence, of malaria and smallpox in the English Channel and the North Sea, the ratio of sick men on the Home station and in the Home fleet is much higher than' in the Mediterranean, and even higher than on the China station. Although the Homo Fleet is manned by men picked for their fine physique, it is quite evident that the climate of the North Sea does not conduce to good health, ae health of the boys in the training establishment, H.M.S. Impregnable, at Devon- : port, supposed to be a well-favoured spot !in regard to climate, compares unfavour- ! ably with that of the boys in ships at the Nore and at Harwich. In fact, the case ; ratio for infectious diseases for the ImI pregnable is nearly twice as high as at Shot- . ley, in the vicinity of Harwich ; that for ! diseases of the nervous system is also half ] as high again at Devonport as at Shotley. In the matter of respiratory disorders, the old wooden Impregnable showed a ratio of 501 per 1000. while the steel-built Powerful, stationed in the same port, showed only 110. Digestive disorders were also about twice as numerous in the wooden as in the steel ship. It is quite evident that the half-century old wooden ship ought to be scrapped. In every class of disease it is about twice as unhealthy as any other class of ship. The Telegraph says that in view of these statements, the Admiralty must scrap the old ships ; it cannot continue to consign boys to vessels which are shown to be so unhealthy. The health of the Navy generally continues to improve. The average rate of final invalidings and deaths" is slightly h ; jl'rr thin (.:' let), but the average loss of service through illness still continues to get less. The death-rate from disease is only half what it was in 1895. Of course there are special conditions prevailing on certain stations. The Red Sea, as always, continues to be a bad experi ence for most seamen.