HEALTH OF BRITISH ARMY

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 199, 11 May 1918, Page 7

HEALTH OF BRITISH ARMY

DISEASE PERCENTAGE IN EECENT AVARS. The retirement of Sir Alfred Keogh from his position as Director-General of the Army Medical Service at the War Office (writes the "Westminster Gazette"), to resume his position as Rector/of the Imperial College of .Science and' Technology at South Kensington, ipvovides an opportunity for a. review of his work as Director-General. Sir Alfred Keogh—himself . a victim I. to typhoid fever in South Africa'-was much impressed by the 57,000 casualties which occurred in the South African campaign from typhoid fever alone, and during that war ho-became a member—of Mr. Brodrick's (now Lord Midleton) com.mitteo. for,.the. reorganisation of tho Army Medical Service. In that capacity • :and-in those, subsequently of- Deputy Director-General and Director-General of the Army Medical Service-, to which he succeeded, he especially devoted his attention .to tho;.<Kluc'atioii "in the principles of sanitary science, not only of the members of the Medical Corps itself, but the combatant officers. . In the Napoleonic wars 97 per cent, of tho deaths wero due to disease. Iu (ihe South African campaign 68 per cent, of the deaths wcre\also due to this cause. In all the ©resent" theatres of war the percentage of deaths from disease does not amount to 4 per cent. Tho far-reach-ing extent of these figures will to understood Mter, perhaps, by a reference once more to the 57,000 typhoid casualties in tho South African campaign. Had the- experience of that campaign 4(iix' wlhich the whole -.strength of tho army; rarely exceeded 200,000) been repeated inj. PrauceV tho casualties from typhoid} fever alone would have exceeded halft a million, and it .must lie' borne in mind/, (hat the conditions in Prance in regard\. to that disdaso. .wore far more likely to ' bo productive of an epidemic than those in South Africa. The figures incas tho equivalent of tho addition to tha strength of the army of half a million men. " "' '• ''. ..'

.Anti-typhoid inoculation has dons ihiich" for tlie prevention of typhoid, but this-«lono without other extensive sanitary measure's 'could not' liavo produced tho results which have been achieved. Everywhere 'auy,:suspieious case of infectious disease; is:.invariably reported to headquarters"iiuiiiediately, and at onco investigated' by one-of- the many travelling laboratories .available. Carriers of disease are ''eliminated by this' means, and removed for the avoidance* of fuf ther infection.'