CAMP HEALTH

Southland Times, Issue 17734, 11 August 1917, Page 5

CAMP HEALTH

SURG.-GEN. HENDERSON’S REPORT. FIGURES FOR 1916. (Per United Press Association.) WELLINGTON, August 10. A comprehensive report on the health of the reinforcements in the training camps ; (luring 1916 was presented to the House j to-day by the Defence Minister. The total number of officers and men who were-pre-sent in the camps during the year 1916 was 42,390. The average strength was 11,772. The total number of admissions to hospital was 12,048, giving a constantly sick rate of 19.59. There were 92 deaths from disease, of which 85 were in camp and 7 in civil hospitals elsewhere, or at sea, giving I a death rate of 7.S per 1000 on the average | strength. In addition there were 9 deaths ] from accidents, of which 7 occurred out of j camp, and 3 suicides, giving a total number of deaths from all causes of 104. This amounts to a death rate of 2.04 per 1000 on the total numbers, and of 8.9 per 1000 on the average strength. The prevailing diseases were influenza and measles. The diseases which caused the chief mortality were pneumonia 38 deaths, and cerebro spinal fever, 36 deaths. There were 40 deaths at Featherston (including one by accident and 3 by suicide), 47 at Trentham (1 accident and 1 suicide), and 3 at Narrow Neck. The report continues that there was undoubtedly a large number of admissions in all the camps as compared with the Imperial Army in peace time. This was largely due to the fact that as a precautionary measure medical officers admitted most of the men reporting sick for trivial cases, which in civil life or in the Imperial Army would not have been admitted to hospital. The average number constantly sick is much the same as that of the Imperial Army in England in time of peace. There were 356 cases admitted for gonorrhoea, 9 syphillis, 7 soft chancre. This shows a total admission rate of 8.77 per thousand on the number of men who passed through camp, and of 31.6 per thousand on the average strength, or about half the amount that occurs in the Imperial Army in peace time. The admissions for venereal disease show that the proximity of a large town affects the numbers of cases in New Zealand just as it does elsewhere. Thus in England prior to war time the London districts showed an admission rate of 15 per cent., whilst the average admission rate for the United Kingdom was between ”6 and 7 per cent.