THE WONDERFUL CENTURY. CHAP. xvm. 



large towns, and in a more or less impure atmosphere. 

 The other difference is that soldiers are constantly sub- 

 ject to temptations and resulting disease from which 

 sailors, while afloat, are wholly free. 



'Turning now to the lower lines, we see that, as re- 

 gards small-pox mortality, the Xavy suffered most down 

 to 1880, but that since that period the Army has had 

 rather the higher mortality. This has been held to be 

 due to the less perfect vaccination of the Navy in the 

 earlier period, but of that there is no proof, while there is 

 evidence as to the causes of the improvement in general 

 health. Staff-Surgeon T. J. Preston, R. 1ST., stated them 

 thus : " Shorter sea-voyages ; greater care not to over- 

 crowd ; plentiful and frequent supplies of fresh food ; the 

 introduction of condensed water; and the care that is 

 now taken in the general economy and hygiene of the 

 vessels " (Q. 3253). These seem sufficient to have pro- 

 duced also the comparative improvement in small-pox 

 mortality, especially as the shorter voyages would enable 

 the patients to be soon isolated on shore. The question 

 we now have to consider is, whether the amount of small- 

 pox here shown to exist in both Army and Navy demon- 

 strates the " full security " that revaccination is alleged 

 to give; whether, as a matter of fact, our soldiers and 

 sailors, when exposed to the contagion of intense small- 

 pox, do suffer to " any appreciable degree " ; and lastly, 

 whether they show any immunity whatever when com- 

 pared with similar populations who have been either 

 very partially or not at all revaccinated. It is not easy 

 to find a fairly comparable population, but after due con- 

 sideration it seems to me that Ireland will be the best 

 available, as the statistics are given in the Commis- 



