Statistical reports on the sickness, mortality, & invaliding among the troops in the United Kingdom, the Mediterranean, and British America / prepared from the records [by A.M. Tulloch, H. Marshall, and T.G. Balfour] of the Army Medical Department and War Office returns.

  • Great Britain. Army Medical Services
Date:
1839
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Statistical reports on the sickness, mortality, & invaliding among the troops in the United Kingdom, the Mediterranean, and British America / prepared from the records [by A.M. Tulloch, H. Marshall, and T.G. Balfour] of the Army Medical Department and War Office returns. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    than any other description of force, probably because these corps contain more of that class who have by dissipation or extravagance reduced themselves from a higher sphere in life to the necessity of enlisting, and on whose minds this change of condition may, in some instances, operate so powerfully as to lead to self-destruction. We shall defer any further remarks as to the diseases by which this mortality has been occasioned till we have completed similar investigations regarding the other classes of troops serving in the United Kingdom, of whom we shall next proceed to notice THE FOOT GUARDS. The Medical Returns of this class of troops not being all sufficiently minute in their details we are unable to furnish the usual particulars regarding the number of admissions into hospital; but the extent of mortality and fatal diseases will be found in Abstract No. II. of Appendix, from which the following Tables of results have been compiled:— Years. Strength. Deaths. Ratio of Deaths per 1000 of Mean Strength. 1830 5,010 88 17*6 1831 4,589 108 23*5 1832 4,959 128 25*8 1833 4,962 98 19-8 1834 4,852 103 21-2 1835 4,524 85 18-8 1836 *5,642 135 23-4 Total for) 71 Years} 34,538 745 • • Average 4,764 103 21-6 Thus, the mortality in this description of force on the average of these seven years has been 21T6^ per thousand of the strength annually, being nearly one-half higher than in the Dragoon Guards and Dragoons. This is the more remarkable, as it has been shown on p. 5, that the climate of London, though certainly much less favourable to health than that of the rural districts, is not more insalubrious than many of the other towns in which the troops are quartered throughout the kingdom; the average annual mortality of the civil population between the ages of 20 and 40 being under 15 per thousand, and that of the East India Company’s labourers employed there as low as 12^ per thousand at the same period of life. We find too, from the Returns of the Metropolitan Police Force, quoted in the Appendix No. VI., that notwithstanding all the disadvantages of frequent night duty to which that class of men is exposed, the mortality out of an average strength of 3400 constantly employed was but 30 per annum, being under 9 per thousand, in addition to which nearly the same propor¬ tion was invalided for bad health. As it is understood, however, that many leave that service of their own accord if they find it proving injurious-to their constitutions, we forbear drawing any positive conclusions from this source, except that it certainly tends to strengthen the opinion that the great mortality of the Foot Guards is attributable to other causes than the climate of the Metropolis, especially as we shall hereafter have occasion to show that the Household Cavalry do not suffer in a similar degree from its influence. The principal diseases to which this high ratio of mortality is attributable are as follow’s :— Total Deaths by each Class of Diseases. Ratio of Deaths Annually per 1000 of Meaii Strength. By Fevers. 59 1*7 Eruptive Fevers. 10 •3 Diseases of the Lungs. 4S7 14*1 „ Liver. 2 •] „ Stomach and Bowels 24 •7 Epidemic Cholera. 40 1-2 Diseases of the Brain. 37 1- Dropsies. IS *5 Other Diseases. 47 1-4 Causes unknown. 9 •2 Suicide and Accidents. 12 *4 Total •••«•• 745 21-6 On comparing this Table with that w'hich shows the mortality by the same diseases among the Dragoon Guards and Dragoons, it will be found that the excess of the mortality among the Foot Guards arises entirely from diseases of the lungs. .-/Cereal strength in 1836 was 4514, but one-fourth more had to be added, as the deaths stated are for l5.months,—from 1st January 1836 to 31st March 1837. C United Kingdom. Table IV. Showing the annual ratio of Mortality among the Foot Guards. Table V. _ Showing the prin¬ cipal fatal Diseases among: the Foot Guards.