Statistics, medical and anthropological, of the provost-marshal-general's bureau derived from records of the examination for military service in the armies of the United States during the late war of the rebellion of over a million recruits, drafted men, substitutes, and enrolled men. Compiled under the direction of the secretary of war. Vol. I / by J. H. Baxter.

  • Baxter, J. H.
Date:
1875
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Statistics, medical and anthropological, of the provost-marshal-general's bureau derived from records of the examination for military service in the armies of the United States during the late war of the rebellion of over a million recruits, drafted men, substitutes, and enrolled men. Compiled under the direction of the secretary of war. Vol. I / by J. H. Baxter. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service. The original may be consulted at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service.

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    conducting- the examination was modified to suit the circumstances. As the volunteer and the substitute endeavored to conceal a defect to gain admittance to the Army, so the drafted man frequently simulated a defect or disease that did not exist, or unduly magnified those existing, in order to escape from the service. Additional information relative to the manner of conducting examinations may be found on page LVI. The re])orts required of examining surgeons were made on blanks furnished by the medical branch of the Bureau, and exhibited, in regard to volunteers and substi- tutes, (1) the date of the examination; (2) the designating number; (3) the name of the I’caa'iiit; (4) his age; (5) his nativity; (G) his occupation; (7) his height, in feet and inches; (8) liis complexion; (9) the color of his eyes; (10) the color of his hair; (11) girth of chest at inspiration ; (12) girth of chest at expiration ; (13) whether inar- I’ied or single; (14) whether white or colored; (15) his general jdiysical constitution and condition, under the general term “ j)hysi<pie;” (IG) Avhether a volunteer or sub- stitute; (17) the result of the examination, whether accejited or rejected; (18) specili- cation of the disease or disability for Avhich he Avas rejected, or, in case of acceptance, a note of aiiA' distiim-uishiim’ natural or accidental mark 1)A' Avliich he mi«>’ht be identi- 4. 0“ I tied. In the case of drafted men the record Avas the same, Avith the ad<lition of col- umns for recording the toAvn and county Avhere drafted. The statistical tables and charts Avhich constitute Barts I and II of this re})ort are accompanied by explanatoiy remarks, and, therefore, recjuii’c only comments of a gen- eral character in this introduction. The elementary conditions Avhich enter into com- ])arison AA’ith each other are : height; gii’th of chest; exj)ansion of chest; age; Aveight; complexion; nativity; social condition, (man-i('d or single;) and locality, (])lace of resi- dence.) d’he com])arison of each of these Avith others, and a, consideration of their relation to disease, may be briefly stated as the scoi>e of this I’eport. It is Avell knoAvn that statistics, Avhen presented in a form rc(juii-ing from the reader much study or com- ])utation, fa-il to be interesting or beneficial ex(‘ept to a very feAv advanced students of the, subject; and, in order that this report may be easily conq)rehended 1)A any one at all interested, the ]>lan of giving ratios expressing the relation tliat one mimlier bears to anotlmr has been adopted; and again, as these ratios are millesimal, they are readily comparable one with another. If it be stated that out of 117,029 men of dark com- ])l(^xion 570 Avere rejected on account of chronic rheumatism, and that out of 217,292 of light conq)lexi(iii the number rejected for the same disease Avas 1,013, no definite idea is conveyed as to AA’hether the men of light or those of dark comjelexion Avere found moi-e allected by that ])ai'tic,ular disease ; but Avhen the ratio ]>er thousand as Avell as th(! numb(!r is giA’cn—1.871 for the former and 4.GG2 for the latter—it is at once clear to the mind fhat the men of dark (‘oinplexiou Avere moi’e affected than the other class. ' Again, if it be stated that on account of the same dis('ase 1,530 out of 315,G20 nati\(^ .\ni('ricaiis aatmc reji'cted, and that out of 5 1,911 men of German birth the number I’eiected AA'as 237, it is not clear AA'hi( h iiatiA'itA' aatis found inoi'e affected; but by giving the i(‘specti\e millesimal ratios—1.818 and 4.313—Ave arrive at a resad/, and umlei-stand that the mte of rejection in the first case Avas four men and eight him- dred and forty-eight thousandths of a man in the thousand, and that the last aatis a ' Sre Tulili' Ic.