Orders. Diseases. This shows a very high rate of mortality in the Royal Artillery and Canada. Canadian Rifles; but 2 of the deaths in the former and 3 in the latter, were by accidental drowning. The admissions into hospital were comparatively very high in the 47th Regiment, and low in the Canadian Rifles; but the latter corps is much broken up into small detachments, so that probably the number of cases may be understated, and the proportion of married men in it is also very large. The diseases by which the admissions into hospital and deaths were caused, are detailed in Abstract No. XII. of Appendix, from which and previous Reports the following Table has been compiled : Strength, This Table shows an increase in the admissions, and a very slight reduction in the deaths, compared with the average of the two preceding years. The increase has been chiefly in miasmatic and venereal diseases, in those of the integumentary system, and in accidents. MIASMATIC DISEASES have given rise to rather above the average number of admissions. The influence of the various groups included in this class is shown in the following Table : Deaths. ARMY MEDICAL DEPARTMENT. Canada. 22.8 Newfoundland. Rheumatism 27.9 •20 From this Table it appears that the increase in the admissions by this class has been confined to dysentery, diarrhoea, and cholera, and to sorethroat and influenza, while there has been a decrease in continued fevers, ophthalmia, and rheumatism. Diarrhoea prevailed to a considerable extent, but in a very mild form, in the 30th and 47th Regiments, immediately after their arrival in the command, 33 cases having been admitted in the former, and 77 in the latter during the first three months thereafter. The Medical Officer in charge of the 47th Regiment states in his report, that "the disease is supposed to have been caused by the sudden change in the mode of life of the men after landing from on board ship, by the heat and dampness of the weather, and by the too free use of fermented liquors." ENTHETIC DISEASES have been more prevalent than in the previous years, but are still lower than in most of the colonies. Canadian Rifle Corps, which has a large proportion of married men serving in If, however, the Royal it, be deducted, the ratio of admissions by venereal will be found to have amounted to 180 per 1,000 of the strength. DIETIC DISEASES.-In this class there were 78 admissions, of which 1 was by land scurvy, and 77 by intemperance (ebriositas); 40 of the latter occurred in the Canadian Rifles, a number which, though still very high, is one-third less than appeared in the Returns of 1860. TUBERCULAR DISEASES Show a great reduction in the mortality; but this may probably depend upon the arrival of so large a portion of the force during the year from England, as the regiments must doubtless, prior to embarkation, have been weeded of all men labouring under pulmonary symptoms. VIOLENT DEATHS.-These amounted to 13, or upwards of one-third of the total mortality; 9 were caused by drowning, 1 by fracture of the skull from a blow given accidentally, 1 by fracture of the ribs from a fall into the hold of a ship, and 1 by an accident with fire-arms. The remaining one was suicidal; it was that of a private of the 17th Regiment, who, in a state of intoxication, threw himself out of a window 20 feet from the ground, and fractured his spine, ribs, and clavicle. He died about an hour afterwards. CORPORAL PUNISHMENT was inflicted in six instances, being in the ratio of 1.7 per 1,000 of the strength, or almost identical with that among infantry regiments serving in the United Kingdom. IV.-NEWFOUNDLAND. The average strength of the Royal Newfoundland Companies during the year was 196; the admissions into hospital were 127, and the total deaths, 2. These numbers give the proportion of 648 admissions and 102 deaths per 1,000 of mean strength, the former being about half, and the latter four times the average of the two preceding years. The following Table, prepared from Abstract No. XII. of Appendix, shows the influence of the different classes of diseases upon this corps : The most striking points in this Table are the reduction in the admissions by miasmatic diseases, which, however, are still nearly thrice as numerous as in Nova Scotia, the very small amount of venereal, the marked diminution in diseases of the respiratory organs, and the absence of tubercular diseases. The latter circumstance may, however, be due to the large number of men discharged from the regiment in the colony or sent to England, amounting during the year to 51, or one-fourth of the strength. It is obviously impossible to draw deductions with regard to a force in which such extensive changes have taken place. The great preponderance of miasmatic diseases has been due to sorethroat and influenza, of which there were 25 cases, and rheumatism, of which there were 18, amounting together to one-third of all the admissions. Seven cases of diphtheria are returned, all of which recovered. The disease is stated to have been epidemic at the time in the town of St. John's. There were only 4 cases returned under the head of intemperance (ebriositas), and none under delirium tremens, a marked improvement upon the returns of 1860, when there were 19 of the former and 4 of the latter. V. BRITISH COLUMBIA. The returns from this colony continue to show a remarkably healthy condition of the troops-a detachment of the Royal Engineers. During the year there were only 97 admissions into hospital and 1 death in a force of 130 men, being in the ratio of 746 and 7·69 per 1,000: 22 of the cases were influenza, 22 venereal, and 24 wounds and injuries mostly received in the discharge of British Columbia. British their duties. The death was that of a Sapper, who was frozen to death while Columbia. returning to head quarters from a surveying expedition. The diseases which caused the admissions into hospital are detailed in Abstract No. XII. of Appendix. British SECTION II. On the Extent of Invaliding. The number of invalids sent home was considerably less than in 1860. America. The following Table, prepared from Abstract No. XIII. of Appendix, shows the influence of the different classes of diseases as causes of invaliding': 2 20 4 10.2 Total Annual ratio per 1,000 ƒ 1861..69 39 93139 8. of strength The most striking point in this Table is the large number of men sent home from Nova Scotia for change of climate on account of tubercular diseases, and from Canada for discharge on account of diseases of the nervous system. Of the latter, 7 were labouring under mental derangement. The numbers actually discharged the service as invalids from the American Commands during 1861, were as follows: The very high proportion of men from Newfoundland discharged the ser- British vice, arises, as pointed out in last Report, from the nature of the force em- America. ployed there, consisting entirely of men who had served for many years previously to joining the Newfoundland Corps. The large number from Canada discharged for pulmonary diseases, may partly account for the reduced proportion of deaths by consumption noticed in the preceding remarks. SECTION III. The average number throughout the year constantly non-effective from sickness was, in Bermuda, 25, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, 42, Canada, 95, and Newfoundland, 7. From these numbers the following results are obtained : Bermuda. Nova Scotia Canada. Newfoundland. 1861. 1859-60. 1861. 1859-60. 1861. 1859-60. 1861. 1859-60. of the cases of 1958 21.08 15 15 16.71 16 59 19 59 20 12 26 41 disease This Table shows a reduction in the mean daily sick in all the Commands, but especially in Bermuda where the proportion in 1860 was raised much above the average by the great prevalence of fever. Compared even with troops serving at home, the results in Nova Scotia and Canada are very satisfactory. SECTION IV. Influence of Age on Mortality. The following Table, compiled from Abstract No. XIV. of Appendix, shows the proportion of mortality to the strength in each of the Commands according to age, arranged in quinquennial periods: of These ratios show a progressive increase in the mortality up to the age 30, more rapid than in civil life in the United Kingdom; the reduction at the period 30-34 is probably an irregularity arising from the small numbers under observation, |