OCR Text |
Show Health .of Soldiers, las Greatly Improved Death Bate in tho Philippines Has Decreased; Cure for Leprosy Has Been Found. WASHINGTON, Oct. 3.-In his annual report Surccon-Genoral R. M. O'Reilly shows that tho general health of tho army hus improved. During the post year tho admission por thousand had been 1151.13, against 1C1C.01 in tho preceding year. This I marks a gradual improvement in tho con- dillon of the troops which has been noted slnco sanitary matters have been given Increased attention, notwithstanding a largo proportion of tho troops have been on practically war servlco in tho Philippines Philip-pines since 1S9S. Death Hato Among Soldiers, From an avorago strength of 19.020 American troops in tho Philippines, 1071 were invalided homo, a rato of K.-u per thousnnd. Thero wore 271 deaths among tho troops In tho Philippines, so that the losses by caths and Invaliding amounted to (0.C7 per thousand. Contrary to what might bo expected, In view of the general gen-eral bollef in tho provalenco and aoverlty of malarial fovor In tho Philippines. It was found necessary to send only K) such cases home. Nearly all of this number subsequently roturncd to duty, nono dying. Filipino Soldiers Fortunate. Tho Filipino soldiers wcro ulngulorly fortunato in tho matter of injuries, having hav-ing a rato of only S7.29 por thousand; but their mortality rato of Is almost ns largo as tho combined death rates of whlto and colored troops from cxtornal causes. Tho Filipinos showed tho highest rato of admission for disease, and thoy also led the disease death rato, with 18.17 per thousand, compared with C per thousand for white and 9.42 for colored Malarial fevers again caused considerably higher rates of sickness and death among Filipinos Fili-pinos and among tho whlto and colored Americans. Death From Cholenu Thero wcro 105 cases of Asiatic cholera, with G8 deaths among tho whlto troops and 44 cases and 2S deaths among tho Filipinos. Tho colored troops were entirely en-tirely freo from this malady. Beri-berl was confined almost ontlrely to FlllplnoB. Thcso soldlera again demonstrated their freedom from drunkenness, as only thrc-o hospital cases from that causo wcro recorded. re-corded. Cure for Eeprosy. Tho SuTgeon-General believes that it is possible to cure leprosy. At any rate, decidedly de-cidedly favorablo results have followed the treatment of tho leper soldier now held In isolation at one of tho Southern army posts. Nodules and Hwelllngs on tho body havo becomo either greatly reduced re-duced or have disappeared entirely. Free uso is mode of tho Roentgen rays in treating treat-ing this" caso and tho man Is now permitted per-mitted to wander about tho Island at his will, provided ho does not enter any building build-ing save his own or approach any one nearer than eight feet. |