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HEALTH OF THE NAVY IN 1930.
685 matters, for many medical
men feel that they are in the same position, and require to give more intensive .consideration to the different aspects of sex and family relations before their views should be allowed to influence the lives of others. For this reason it seems possible that of those seeking the bureau for .assistance as many may be directed there by their doctors or their clergymen as will find their way there
independently.
---
HEALTH OF THE NAVY IN 1930.
Half the men in the Navy haveunder 10 years’ service, and half have more. In the years 1921-24 the tuberculous invalids of under 10 years’ service averaged 123, those of over 10 years’ service 71. In the years 1925-30 there were on an average 105 of under 10 years’ service and 96 over. It would appear that the men on the whole are developing tubercle later in life. Either there is a greater risk of contracting tubercle in the Navy as service continues, or the improved hygiene of to-day strengthens the resist-
ance of those fated by their childhood’s experiences I to develop tubercle and delays its appearance. The THE statistical report of the Health of the for the year 1930,1 the first to be signed by Vice- question certainly deserves discussion. It must not Admiral R. St. G. Bond, has just been issued. The be forgotten that the death-rate for tubercle among total force was 88,840 (86,240 in the preceding year), men in England and Wales rises pretty regularly included for the first from age 15 to age 55, so these men are serving at marines at headquarters time. The fresh cases were, per 1000, 428-08 (482-03), the most susceptible ages, and that there is a school -the invalids 12-55 (14-30), and the deaths 2-47 (2-94), of medical opinion which holds that most of the .all showing decreases. Important causes of loss of tubercle of the Services has come into them from service were local injuries and wounds, acute gonor- civil life. Of the great groups of the Service, marines, rhoea, and, with less loss, catarrh. The chief causes with 1-16 cases per 1000, were least attacked in 1930, - of invaliding (total, 1115) were pulmonary tuber- seamen, with 2-49 cases per 1000, the most. There are - culosis 202 (228), diseases of the eye 199 (170), fewer cases of venereal disease this year, though more ,diseases of the ear 91 (132), injuries 80 (105). Deaths days under treatment, but these are only a fifth of - were 220 (254), their chief causes being injury 94 (92), the total from all diseases and injuries ; formerly they Tneumonia 16 (21), pulmonary tuberculosis 13 (19), were a third. The long accounts of work being done ,heart disease 13 (7), and diseases of the intestines in pathological and other laboratories have interest, 12 (15). There were no deaths from enteric this but the first-hand clinical reports of cases and year or last, but 7 (12) from meningococcal infection. epidemics seen on foreign stations, the special characOf the deaths from injury, 39 (42) were due to drown- teristic of the old reports, are excluded to-day, ing ; there were 14 (9) suicides. Of cases of illness, which is a great loss. Much information of value 11 (5) were due to the enteric group, 383 (1661) to was extracted from them in the Croonian lectures :influenza, 388 (539) to malaria, 5 (14) to Mediter- of last year. The note on diphtheria strongly ranean fever, 115 (179) to pneumococcal infection of supports the slogan, " Prevention pays ! " The cases the lung, 78 (100) to pyrexia of uncertain origin, of diphtheria at Greenwich Hospital School used to 118 (128) to rheumatic fever, 47 (81) to sandfly fever, cost about U500 a year, but thanks to Schick-testing 1 (2) to small-pox (a slight case, sent back to duty in and immunisation there are now no cases ; to main19 days), 203 (240) to tuberculosis of lung, with tain this condition costs but jE30 a year or less. 13 (20) unclassified. New venereal infections were Reports from Malta support Ziemann’s viewthat .5154 (5342), a definite reduction. From the new leguminous crops which form coumarin are a great tables we gather there were 5 cases of encephalitis protection against malaria, and that it is their prelethargica; single cases are mentioned of blackwater sence that protects Malta from malaria. At Haslar, fever, relapsing fever, tetanus, and of schistosoma which has 150 more’beds this year, an electrocardioThe many mosquitofrom the Mediterranean, though none from China. graph has been installed. ’The death-rate from disease (1’26) is the lowest breeding places that surround the hospital are utilised hitherto recorded. The successful preventive measures for training surgeon-lieutenants in antimosquito in Delhi for her cruise up the Amazon (chiefly mos- work. The volume of dental work is continually quito nets) are given in detail ; no cases of malaria increasing. There is still no mention of the health ’occurred. Of meningococcus infection the largest condition of the cadets at Dartmouth. .group was 6, from Pembroke, depot-ship at Chatham. Eight years ago we observed2 that there was no ANTIMENINGOCOCCAL SERUM IN .special notice taken of tuberculosis in the health CEREBRO-SPINAL FEVER. xeports of the Services, though the disease was causing them a loss of 721 men annually. Much attention THE scheme designed by the Ministry of Health4 .has been paid to this subject meanwhile, but if we to determine the value of serum treatment during" -go back to the Navy Health Report for 1921, then the present prevalence of cerebro-spinal fever has - current, and compare its figures with those for 1930, failed as yet to secure really useful records, and a we see little evidence of improvement; there are new leaflet has been issued to medical officers of indeed slightly more cases and more invalids. health explaining why. A particular object of the scheme was to compare the potency of different Statistics of Tubercle ira the Navy per 1000. serums in current use. Through the courtesy of Cases. Invalids. Deaths. medical officers of health, hospital medical officers, 1921 2.36 2-23 0.28 1930 2-42 0-16 2-36 and medical practitioners, over 300 individual case records have already been received ; the variation Tuberculous cases and invalids are almost, as we in the methods of using the serum have made them :ee, the same people, and as the Navy publishes a difficult to compare. The doses of serum given, the most useful list of the ages and length of service of of the disease at which serum treatment was period .all invalids, the distribution of cases in the service and the time during which it was continued, ’can be readily calculated. It emerges that since begun, have differed widely from the practice of serum 1921 the distribution of cases has been changing.
Navy
being
....
....
....
....
....
....
1 Statistical
Report of the Health of the Navy H.M. Stationery Office. 1932. Pp. 148. 2s. 6d. 2 THE LANCET, 1924, ii., 664.
1930.
3See THE LANCET, 1931, ii., 255. 4 Review of Certain Aspects of the Control of Cerebro-spinal Fever (Ministry of Health Reports on Public Health and Medical Subjects, No. 65).
men feel that they are in the same position, and require to give more intensive .consideration to the different aspects of sex and family relations before their views should be allowed to influence the lives of others. For this reason it seems possible that of those seeking the bureau for .assistance as many may be directed there by their doctors or their clergymen as will find their way there
independently.
---
HEALTH OF THE NAVY IN 1930.
Half the men in the Navy haveunder 10 years’ service, and half have more. In the years 1921-24 the tuberculous invalids of under 10 years’ service averaged 123, those of over 10 years’ service 71. In the years 1925-30 there were on an average 105 of under 10 years’ service and 96 over. It would appear that the men on the whole are developing tubercle later in life. Either there is a greater risk of contracting tubercle in the Navy as service continues, or the improved hygiene of to-day strengthens the resist-
ance of those fated by their childhood’s experiences I to develop tubercle and delays its appearance. The THE statistical report of the Health of the for the year 1930,1 the first to be signed by Vice- question certainly deserves discussion. It must not Admiral R. St. G. Bond, has just been issued. The be forgotten that the death-rate for tubercle among total force was 88,840 (86,240 in the preceding year), men in England and Wales rises pretty regularly included for the first from age 15 to age 55, so these men are serving at marines at headquarters time. The fresh cases were, per 1000, 428-08 (482-03), the most susceptible ages, and that there is a school -the invalids 12-55 (14-30), and the deaths 2-47 (2-94), of medical opinion which holds that most of the .all showing decreases. Important causes of loss of tubercle of the Services has come into them from service were local injuries and wounds, acute gonor- civil life. Of the great groups of the Service, marines, rhoea, and, with less loss, catarrh. The chief causes with 1-16 cases per 1000, were least attacked in 1930, - of invaliding (total, 1115) were pulmonary tuber- seamen, with 2-49 cases per 1000, the most. There are - culosis 202 (228), diseases of the eye 199 (170), fewer cases of venereal disease this year, though more ,diseases of the ear 91 (132), injuries 80 (105). Deaths days under treatment, but these are only a fifth of - were 220 (254), their chief causes being injury 94 (92), the total from all diseases and injuries ; formerly they Tneumonia 16 (21), pulmonary tuberculosis 13 (19), were a third. The long accounts of work being done ,heart disease 13 (7), and diseases of the intestines in pathological and other laboratories have interest, 12 (15). There were no deaths from enteric this but the first-hand clinical reports of cases and year or last, but 7 (12) from meningococcal infection. epidemics seen on foreign stations, the special characOf the deaths from injury, 39 (42) were due to drown- teristic of the old reports, are excluded to-day, ing ; there were 14 (9) suicides. Of cases of illness, which is a great loss. Much information of value 11 (5) were due to the enteric group, 383 (1661) to was extracted from them in the Croonian lectures :influenza, 388 (539) to malaria, 5 (14) to Mediter- of last year. The note on diphtheria strongly ranean fever, 115 (179) to pneumococcal infection of supports the slogan, " Prevention pays ! " The cases the lung, 78 (100) to pyrexia of uncertain origin, of diphtheria at Greenwich Hospital School used to 118 (128) to rheumatic fever, 47 (81) to sandfly fever, cost about U500 a year, but thanks to Schick-testing 1 (2) to small-pox (a slight case, sent back to duty in and immunisation there are now no cases ; to main19 days), 203 (240) to tuberculosis of lung, with tain this condition costs but jE30 a year or less. 13 (20) unclassified. New venereal infections were Reports from Malta support Ziemann’s viewthat .5154 (5342), a definite reduction. From the new leguminous crops which form coumarin are a great tables we gather there were 5 cases of encephalitis protection against malaria, and that it is their prelethargica; single cases are mentioned of blackwater sence that protects Malta from malaria. At Haslar, fever, relapsing fever, tetanus, and of schistosoma which has 150 more’beds this year, an electrocardioThe many mosquitofrom the Mediterranean, though none from China. graph has been installed. ’The death-rate from disease (1’26) is the lowest breeding places that surround the hospital are utilised hitherto recorded. The successful preventive measures for training surgeon-lieutenants in antimosquito in Delhi for her cruise up the Amazon (chiefly mos- work. The volume of dental work is continually quito nets) are given in detail ; no cases of malaria increasing. There is still no mention of the health ’occurred. Of meningococcus infection the largest condition of the cadets at Dartmouth. .group was 6, from Pembroke, depot-ship at Chatham. Eight years ago we observed2 that there was no ANTIMENINGOCOCCAL SERUM IN .special notice taken of tuberculosis in the health CEREBRO-SPINAL FEVER. xeports of the Services, though the disease was causing them a loss of 721 men annually. Much attention THE scheme designed by the Ministry of Health4 .has been paid to this subject meanwhile, but if we to determine the value of serum treatment during" -go back to the Navy Health Report for 1921, then the present prevalence of cerebro-spinal fever has - current, and compare its figures with those for 1930, failed as yet to secure really useful records, and a we see little evidence of improvement; there are new leaflet has been issued to medical officers of indeed slightly more cases and more invalids. health explaining why. A particular object of the scheme was to compare the potency of different Statistics of Tubercle ira the Navy per 1000. serums in current use. Through the courtesy of Cases. Invalids. Deaths. medical officers of health, hospital medical officers, 1921 2.36 2-23 0.28 1930 2-42 0-16 2-36 and medical practitioners, over 300 individual case records have already been received ; the variation Tuberculous cases and invalids are almost, as we in the methods of using the serum have made them :ee, the same people, and as the Navy publishes a difficult to compare. The doses of serum given, the most useful list of the ages and length of service of of the disease at which serum treatment was period .all invalids, the distribution of cases in the service and the time during which it was continued, ’can be readily calculated. It emerges that since begun, have differed widely from the practice of serum 1921 the distribution of cases has been changing.
Navy
being
....
....
....
....
....
....
1 Statistical
Report of the Health of the Navy H.M. Stationery Office. 1932. Pp. 148. 2s. 6d. 2 THE LANCET, 1924, ii., 664.
1930.
3See THE LANCET, 1931, ii., 255. 4 Review of Certain Aspects of the Control of Cerebro-spinal Fever (Ministry of Health Reports on Public Health and Medical Subjects, No. 65).