Show immoral habits have a serious effect on the efficiency of the troops comparison with other soldiers washington oct C surgeon general R M ot tho army has submitted an exhaustive report on the health conditions of the army to secretary taft ho says that tha enlisted strength ot the army as shown upon the monthly sick reports was and on the returns ot the military secretary and calculations are made upon the latter figures there acro admissions to the sick report during the year deaths from all causes and 1377 discharges for disability tho figures ha says show a steady aad progressive improvement pro in the health of the army the report says that by far the most important diseases affecting tho efficiency fici ency of tho army during the year have been those resulting from immoral habits which caused 16 per cent from all admissions this class of diseases advanced from third to first place in number of admissions to the sick report there were constantly on sick report tor this class ot diseases men equal to the loss for the entire year of he services 0 eleven buil companies of infantry the control of these diseases says general oreilly lies largely in the hands of the civil authorities and ono ot the most important steps to tha end would appear to bo classing them with other infectious diseases and tha requirement that they shai bo as such and controlled by health departments in the military service a similar course should bo followed As to causes of death pneumonia advanced to first place and tuberculosis Is second there were admissions for gunshot wounds with 44 deaths and 2850 admissions for wounds other than gunshot with fifteen deaths twenty one men were killed in action and 42 of the killed two were by gunshot of the wounded m action 28 were by gunshot there were 45 aal aol diers drowned 11 per cent of tho total deaths from all causes indicating how important it is that all soldiers should have systematic instruction in swimming twenty seven soldiers committed suicide 11 deaths were due to homicide notwithstanding that a largo part of the army was serving in the tropics there was no admission for snake bite the strength ot officers was from the medical department reports and from the military secretary there were 2206 admissions 27 deaths comparisons with foreign armies show that the highest rate of admissions is in the american army and the lowest in the russian the highest death rate was in the american army and the lowest in the prussian the highest non effective rate wa in the american army and tho lowest in the prussian regarding these facts general oreilly says the very high proportion for alcoholism in the american army as compared with that of the british army is clearly due to the tact that in the latter service only admission to the hospital are counted i is notable that while the british have less than halt he american admission for dysentery their death rate Is practically the same and that while the ratio of admission for malaria Is about the same their death rate is nearly three times as great the american admission rate for malaria Is nearly eighty times that of the french while the death rate is only five times a great these facts point to difference differ enco in the method of computing admissions the figures for measles and mumps compare very unfavorably with other armies except tho french the comparatively high american death rate for tuberculosis is explained by the fact that in the united states army tuberculosis patients are sent to a sanitarium and retained in service tor long periods while in other armies they are promptly discharged the high admission rate Is no doubt due to ane present detective system of medical examination oe recruits the undue prevalence of typhoid devor in the army is partly ex by its undue prevalence in tho civil communities where the troops arc stationed as a result 0 general failure to purify water anu sewers in american municipalities notable is the absence ot smallpox in the prussian bavarian and dutch armias more care in vaccination would give ako results in other vices the strength of the army in the philippines was and there were admissions to the ack report and deaths tho strength of the troops ft as and there were and deaths |