MEDICINE AND THE WAR

Abstract

<h3>THE ARMY'S HEALTH</h3> The United States Army in training in this country is in better health than ever before during wartime, the War Department announced on September 17. On the basis of figures to date it is anticipated that the general hospital admission rate will be about 10 per cent lower in 1942 than in 1941. Thus far in 1942 there has been no mild influenza epidemic like that of early last year. Even the common ills such as colds, sore throat and measles are down to as low a level as reasonably can be expected. Venereal disease is substantially less than during the first world war, with the syphilis rate now lowest in army history. The total venereal disease rate, on an annual basis, was 40.5 per thousand men in 1941 and 38 per thousand men for the first six months of 1942, including cases arising in newly inducted