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is unique to this camp; for elsewhere the type of pneumonia that is preceded by measles is predominatingly bronchial. It is significant that the regiments largely involved were made up principally of draft men from Florida, new to the service and harboring the hookworm.

Mumps was epidemic from late November until the middle of January. The cases represent about 18 per cent of the command. a fact that would seem to indicate that the epidemic involved nearly all of the susceptible material. About 12 per cent of the cases of mumps developed orchitis. Venereal diseases were abundant; and it is noted that the new cases were chiefly from the newly drafted

men.

21. CAMP SHERIDAN, ALA.

Camp Sheridan is located near the city of Montgomery, Ala. Three creeks running from south to north and one from east to west. eventually joining the Alabama River, afforded the natural basis of a drainage system. It was necessary to widen and deepen all of these creeks and to connect them with artificial drainage ditches. These drainage canals, both natural and artificial, became filled and clogged after every rain and necessitated a repetition of the original procedure of cleaning these channels. The soil is alluvial in nature and pulverized very quickly under traffic, resulting in a great deal of dust in dry weather.

The climate was extraordinarily pleasant barring a considerable drop in the temperature. The temperature varied from 75° on November 7 to 15° on December 9. There was slightly less precipitation than usual and practically no snowfall.

The water supply is excellent, and is piped from the city of Montgomery. It is soft and comes from artesian wells. A few instances of colon pollution were reported at first but are attributable to the dirt entering the mains during the process of laying the pipe. Some difficulty is experienced in obtaining sufficient pressure.

The garbage was at first disposed of by using a modified Guthrie incinerator, but this proved an expensive and inexpedient process because of the high price and difficulty in securing an adequate supply of fuel. The system now in force is the collection of liquid garbage by means of pump wagons. The liquid garbage is dumped two miles below the camp into a nearby stream emptying eventually into the Alabama River. The solid garbage is sold to a hog-feeding

company.

The new Thirty-seventh (old Sixteenth) Division was assigned to Camp Sheridan. This division consisted almost wholly of seasoned troops from the State of Ohio. There were a few from West Virginia and Alabama also. The later increments of drafted men were principally from the Southern States.

Camp Sheridan reached its maximum strength of 24,000 early in October. This number was fairly constant throughout the period. It was decreased by about 1,000 late in December (Chart 30). The leading diseases and causes of death for Camp Sheridan are shown in Table No. 38.

Polygon of weekly strength of Camp Sheridan measured by scale on the left.

-30.000

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-10,000

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TABLE NO. 38.-Admissions and deaths, infectious diseases, Camp Sheridan, 1917.

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1 Figures in parentheses indicate number of colored troops in venereal disease only.

The disease record of this camp is unusually small; no serious epidemics of any kind occurred. Four deaths only were reported, two from meningitis and one each from lobar pneumonia and measles complicated by broncho-pneumonia.

Venereal diseases are by far the most frequent. The relatively high percentage of venereal diseases is explained in part by the fact that more than three regiments of this division before coming into camp were distributed on guard duty in small detachments through the State of Ohio near the larger cities and towns. An effort has been made with some success to educate the troops as to the significance of these diseases.

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22. CAMP MCCLELLAN, ALA.

Camp McClellan is situated about midway between Anniston and Jacksonville, Ala., and has the advantage of natural surface drainage, practically every organization being on a small creek. The soil of the camp is a mixture of clay and some gravel, which becomes very muddy in wet weather and very dusty in dry weather.

The temperature of the last three months of the year was below the average, varying from 74° above zero on the 8th of November to 8° above zero on the 30th of December. In both November and December the amount of precipitation was below normal. There was practically no snowfall in either of these months. There were 18 clear days in November and 15 in December.

Camp McClellan is amply supplied with excellent water from a spring, the source of which is Blue Mountains. The capacity of the spring is 33,000,000 gallons in 24 hours.

There was no system of sewage at first and 90 per cent of the latrines took seepage water and required pumping. Latrine pits on side hills, unused by troops, would frequently fill to within a foot or two of the top, necessitating pumping. Five excavating tanks have hauled on an average 12,500 gallons of polluted seepage water per day. Improvised crematories were constructed and the five in operation at the end of the year are capable of disposing of from four to five thousand gallons of sewage each, per day. Also a system of sewage was installed at the base hospital.

The new Twenty-ninth (old Eighth) Division of the National Guard was assigned to Camp McClellan. This division was composed of seasoned troops from the States of New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia. The percentage of urbanity is high in these States.

During the last three months of the year 1917 the strength of the camp remained fairly constant. From the first increment of 14,000 in September the number increased to about 25,000 in October and 27,000 in November and December (Chart 31).

Polygon of weekly strength of Camp McClellan measured by scale on the left.

.30,000

20,000

7 14 21 28 5 12 19 26 2 9 16 23 30 7 14 21 29

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The leading diseases and consequent deaths at Camp McClellan are shown in Table No. 39.

TABLE NO. 39.—Admissions and deaths, infectious diseases, Camp McClellan, 1917.

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It is noticeable that in this camp, containing seasoned troops, no serious epidemics occurred. Venereal cases ran rather high, 568 cases being treated during this period. Two hundred and fifteen uncomplicated cases of measles with no deaths were reported. In 125 instances pulmonary tuberculosis was assigned as the reason for disability-discharge from the division. One death occurred among the 45 cases of lobar pneumonia. Three other deaths occurred, one each resulting from cerebrospinal meningitis, measles with bronchopneumonia, and typhoid fever, respectively.

Ten cases of typhoid fever occurred during this period and all cases were confined to the Fifth New Jersey Infantry, who apparently brought the disease with them. Examination of their service records showed that in practically every case the typhoid inoculation had not been completed. Sixteen cases of malaria were also reported as having been brought into the camp from outside sources.

Eight cases of meningitis were treated during October, November, and December. Seventy-three carriers were detected during this same period. Of the 413 examined in October 1.6 per cent were carriers; of the 539 examined in November 5.2 per cent were carriers. The percentage of carriers was still further increased in December, when 7.3 per cent of the 502 men examined were reported as carriers. Great care was exercised in segregating and isolating all carriers detected.

23. CAMP SHELBY, MISS.

Camp Shelby is located 11 miles southeast of Hattiesburg, Miss., on a rather high, rolling plateau, covered with pine forests, once cut over. The soil is of clay, covered with a light coating of fine sand, which dries very quickly on the surface, but which is only slightly impervious. The natural drainage is good, as the general surface of the area is marked by many ravines.

The temperature during this period was unusually low for this region, varying from 75° on November 7 to 1° below zero on December 30. There was very much less rainfall than usual. There was considerable snowfall in December, but for the most part confined to a very few days.

The permanent supply of water is from three wells over 300 feet deep, passing through several impervious layers of clay and filtering layers of sand and gravel. The disposal of waste proved a real problem. The impervious character of the soil precluded any chance of absorption. This necessitated the use of odorless excavators for pumping out the waste. The kitchen garbage was disposed of to a contractor. Some difficulty was experienced in incinerating the manure and this was later disposed of to contractors for fertilizer. Work began on the camp July 22, 1917, and the new Thirty-eighth (old Seventeenth) Division began its organization August 25 with the arrival of the commanding general and the division staff. This division was composed of seasoned troops from the States of Indiana and Kentucky. To these were added a considerable number of drafted men from civil life to complete the organization.

This camp reached its maximum strength very slowly by small increments. It started with about 2,000 men in September and only reached its maximum strength of 30,000 in November. In December this strength was decreased to about 27,000 (Chart 32). The principal diseases and consequent deaths for Camp Shelby are listed in Table No. 40.

TABLE NO. 40.-Admissions and deaths, infectious diseases. Camp Shelby, 1917.

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As usual, measles and mumps far outnumber the other diseases in frequency, but neither reached the proportions here that prevailed in many camps. Measles was reported from the very first. being brought in by the troops from Kentucky. It did not reach any disturbing proportion until the last of October, when the larger increments of drafted men furnished material for the spread of the disease. The crests of the waves of incidence occurred on the 8th and 22d of November. After the 3d of December the number of admissions for measles began to fall off rapidly and by the last of this month the epidemic was over.

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