WASTAGE BY WAR.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXV, Issue 14, 15 January 1913, Page 4

WASTAGE BY WAR.

Captain A. W. Tufnell, Ceneral Staff Officer of the East Lancashire Terri--torial Division, in the course of a recent lecture on the wastage caused by war, called attention to the urgent necessity of medical officers having more than a passing acquaintance with the work of the combatant units. They would then better understand what was required of them. Loss than fifty years ago, the loeurer said, British troops in peace time died at the rate of 20 per 1000 a year. It had now been reduced to less than four per 1000. But when we come to the losses by disease in war, we have tc admit that no improvement has taken place. In our more recent wars, reconing from Ashanti in 1873 to. the South African War terminating in 1902, numbering nineteen expedition in all, for every man admitted to hospital for a wound or injury, 25 have been treated for disease, and five have died of disease for every one that has died from wounds or injuries. li South Africa 150,000 men were treated for disease, compared with 22.000 fo: wounds, injuries, and accidents com billed. Enteric fever and dysentery diseases, which are to a large exteiT preventable, accounted for 74,000 ad missions and 9000 deaths. In Ma; and June, .1900, there were 5000 en teric cases in Bloemfontein alone. Tin Japanese can show a far better re cord of improvement. In their war with China they had 56 admissions fo> disease to every one for wounds and injuries, but in the recent war i; Manchuria the comparison .was onh 2.V to one. This result could nevehave been achieved by the work ol their medical department alone, how ever excellent. Wo must look for tin explanation to the recognition by aT ranks, from the general to the pi vate soldier, of the requirements of modern sanitary teaching as applied fo war, and the ready obedience to orders issued on the subject.