434 



Colonel George Adam! 



[Feb. 



taneously Major, now Colonel, Gordon, at Millbank, isolated four, 

 and these are now generally recognised. Following upon this Colonel 

 Gordon and his colleagues have developed powerful anti-serums 

 both mono-valent and poly-valent (protecting against all the strains), 

 and with progressive iroprovements in these serums the mortality 

 from the disease has been reduced to a very striking degree. As a 

 matter of fact. Colonel Gordon and Major Hine have prepared a 

 serum so potent that, whereas in the first two years of the War 

 the mortality from this disease was 50 per cent and over, now in the 

 last 83 unselected cases it has been reduced to 12 per cent ; or, if we 

 deduct the 1 5 cases in which experience has shown that the treat- 



WAR DISEASES 



ADMISSIONS •""DEATHS 



CANADIAN-OVERSEAS TROOPS -all ranks - 



Fig. 4. 



ment was administered too late to be operative, to 3 • 44 per cent. 

 By isolation of carriers, improved camp sanitation, and the employ- 

 ment of improved anti-toxins or anti-serums, what threatened to be a 

 widespread epidemic has been prevented from spreading, and has 

 been brought well under control. 



So much for the outstanding triumphs, nor, to give you an im- 

 pression of how great was our conquest over infectious disease-— at 

 least at the main seat of war in France and Flanders — do I think 

 that I can do better than give you this analysis of the incidence of 

 the main infections in the Canadian Expeditionary Force. It deserves 

 note that vaccination against smallpox was compulsory, and that 

 there was not a single death from this disease. 



