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Show HEALTH IN ARMY CAMPS If you've heard those rumors about epidemics at army camps, large numbers of deaths in army hospitals, hos-pitals, unhealthy sanitary conditions and 'fast-spreading diseases among our recently recruited soldiers, put them down as malicious whispering. These stories have been going the rounds about practically all of our new and enlarged camps. Whether the purpose is to stir up resentment resent-ment among families of soldiers, or to create fear for the strength of our army, we don't know, but investigation shows that men in army camps are, in most cases, in much more healthful surroundings surround-ings than they are at home. Whispering campaigns can spread false rumors like wild-fire. And there is little doubt that a lot of these army camp stories are planned and paid for by enemies within our gates. Recent nvestigation in one camp, where it was reported that the army hospital was overflowing over-flowing with pneumonia cases and that there had been a large number of pneumonia deaths and that conditions were deplorable, showed these facts: out of several thousand soldiers, two were in the hospital with pneumonia and were well on the way to recovery; there had been no pneumonia deaths; out of a normal expectation, based on civilian averages, of five per cent on the sick list, less than two per cent were sick; most of the soldiers in camp stated that they were healthier than before they came to camp. Another interesting finding was that a large portion of the soldiers who were in the hospital just had simple colds or other slight ailments, which, in civilian life, wouldn't have kept them from going to work. But the army doesn't take chances. Any sign of sickness means a visit to the doctor, and when he recommends a day of rest it means a day in the hospital. hos-pital. So a large proportion of hospitalized soldiers are the ones who, in business life, would be going to work with the "sniffles." |