Show tattooing very popular A in the navy V N interesting report on tattooing AN A in the navy has been made to secretary by surgeon ammon Fa renholt as a result of hla his observations while serving on the receiving ship independence at tho the mare island navy yard in california the enlistment records of men were examined by dr Farne Parne holt this being the enlistments on the independence for eight and a half years these records show that the percentage found tattooed on examination for sec ond and subsequent enlistments was waa and the percentage percent aea found tat tat examination for first on en listi was waa 2301 23 01 the 0 opinion p Is ex pressed that about 60 per cent of the sailors who have served over ten years in the navy are tattooed dr Fa renholt says it Is not fair to assume from the figures that 23 per cent of the male citizens ore are tattooed as a considerable proportion of applicants for enlistment are seafaring sea faring men he was surprised to find so eo many probably eight per cent of the recruits who are tattooed and who denied having been at sea or even having lived in seaport towns in dr Faren holta holes opinion the custom la is more moie common in camps and in places where men are collected in largo numbers bers than Is imagined the report contains statistics regarding the location of tattoo marks and the frequency of various designs letters mottoes initials and allied devices lead the list and constitute about 26 per cent of all ink marks coats of 0 arms and national emblems follow with about 25 per cent then flags anchors etc female figures are shown in IS 18 per cent of all tattooing the usual types were found among them such as holdfast a letter on the back bach of each finger apprentice knot pig on dorsum of toot foot which among the older men was supposed to shield its possessor from death by drowning crucifix which in case ot of death would insure burial in ct a chri christian country and jerusalem cross crosa which would answer the same purpose on moslem shores of the latter dr renholt fahrenholt Fa found 14 all in re enlisted men one man was adorned with a sock covering each toot foot and extending above the ankle another with a fox hunting scene in one case tile the entire back was covered by a large masonic column and globe little egypt figured in two cases and a copy of a beer I 1 trademark in one designs showing i the goddess of libor liberty ty ships eagles pigs and apprentice knots were found to be more popular on re enlistment than among those who came directly from civil life |