Observations on the means of forming and maintaining troops in health in different climates and localities / by Edward Balfour.

Date:
[1845]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Observations on the means of forming and maintaining troops in health in different climates and localities / by Edward Balfour. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

    8/12 page 6
    defeats and reverses, no doubt exercise an influence over the health. Success, with the elatement and plenty it generally brings, and the anxiety that waits on reverses and defeats, must materially preserve the health or destroy it. But even with unvarying success, the mortality during war is very high, much higher than in most of our unhealthy colonies. More ex- tended data than any we can here offer would be required to come to any definite conclusions, but the annexed Table will show, to some extent at least, the mortality to be expected during periods of war. The Average Annual Mortality per 1,000 of Mean Strength of British Troops during War.* Average Annual Deaths per 1,000, For the Expedition to Walcheren, 30,-219 troops embarked for service, 29th August 1809; of these 217 were killed in action, and 4,175 died from disease, and on the return of the army to Britain, 11,513 were \ reported sick on the 23d December, a period of 117 days: supposing it to have continued, this would have given an annual ratio of - - In the Peninsula, from January 1811 to May 1814, a period of 41 months, out of a mean force of 61,511, the total deaths Avere from > disease, 24,930; from wounds in battle, 8,889: 33,819 And among the officers during the same pe-') riod, there occurred -J In Ceylon, during 1818 and 1819, tAVO years] of war, but numbers actually employed unknown, 1st year ] In Ceylon, during 1818 and 1819, out of 2,698,^ the average strength at Ceylon, 2d year -J In Burmah, during 1824, first year of Avar,! deaths among all ranks - - - -J In Burmah, during 1824, and 1825, first andl second years of Avar, deaths among officers - J In Ceylon, Negro troops in 1818, 1819 In Burmah, 10 regiments, Bengal and Mad-1 ras Sepoys and Pioneers, each supposed ! 800 strong employed there - - -j From Wounds. From Disease. Tota l. 16-7 332- 348-7 42-4 118-0 160-9 66* 37- 103- - - 218- - - 129- 35* 450- 485* 106-6 300- 406-6 - - 132-3 - - 400- War, liOAvever, is but a temporary state, and the loss of life, though pro- portionally severe, is but little in the aggregate compared with the annual loss in foreign countries during peace. It is, therefore, to the means of * The information in these Tables is eollected from Inspector-General Marshall and Col. 1 ulloch » invaluable Reports.
    digitised image 1
    digitised image 2
    digitised image 3