COMPARISON WITH FOREIGN ARMIES. As in previous years it has been customary to make an effort to compare the health conditions in the United States with the same conditions in the armies of Great Britain, the continental powers, and Japan. Owing to the unusual conditions which have existed throughout the calendar year 1916 in Europe, no effort at comparison is made in this report. SURGICAL OPERATIONS. Table No. 66 shows the principal surgical operations performed by medical officers upon the personnel of the Army. Operations upon families of officers and enlisted men and other civilians who are entitled to treatment at Army hospitals at the various posts are not included. During the year 1916 there were 10,129 operations performed, of which 10,037 were successful, 31 partially successful, and 9 failures; 52 deaths resulted. Of the anesthetics used, ether was more prominent, being used in 4,947 cases, chloroform in 99, local anesthesia in 3,968, chloroform and ether or gas in 97, and other general anesthetics in 318 cases. One thousand two hundred and thirty-seven appendectomies were performed, 13 resulting in death; 643 herniotomies, and 9 operations for goiter. UNITED STATES (CONTINENTAL) EXCLUSIVE OF ALASKA. ADMISSION RATE. Cases only are counted; readmissions for the same illness are omitted in counting cases. Table No 81 shows case admissions and total admissions for enlisted American troops of the Army for the United States and American troops, Philippine Islands, 1904 to 1911, inclusive. Admission rates for disease and injuries and total noneffective rate for the United States, continental (excluding Alaska), years 1911–1916 (enlisted American troops). The admission rate for 1916, 745.38, is slightly higher than for the preceding year. This rate is compared with the rate for five years preceding in the total above. The noneffective is higher than the average for preceding five years. The mean strength of all troops serving in the United States, both Regulars and National Guard, year 1916, was 130,394. The case rate for these troops was 911.72 for all causes, as against 704.01 for Regulars in 1915. The noneffective rate was 25.07; the discharge rate was 15.58 and the death rate was 4.21, as against 25.74, 13.60, and 5.40, respectively, for Regulars in the previous year. DISCHARGES FOR DISABILITY. The disability-discharge rate for the United States for 1916 was 16.76 per 1,000, as compared with 13.60 for 1915, 14.82 for 1914, 13.45 for 1913, 14.48 for 1912, and 15 for 1911. It will be noted that the rate for 1916 is considerably higher than for 1915. 376 TABLE NO. 7.-Discharges for disability, year 1916, United States continental (excluding Alaska)-Continued. TABLE NO. 7.-Discharges for disability, year 1916, United States continental (excluding Alaska)-Continued. The principal causes of discharge with the percentage of the total number of discharges for diseases were: Mental alienation, 18.28; tuberculosis, 13.27; venereal diseases, 11.15; flat foot, 9.70; disease of the digestive system 6.69; and epilepsy, 6.24. The order of frequency was the same for the year 1915 as in the years 1914, 1913, and 1912, except that flat foot changed places with venereal diseases, and in addition for 1916 diseases of the digestive system changed places with epilepsy. |