CHAP. xvin. VACCINATION A DELUSION. 311 



ing for the Navy, the death-rate from disease and that 

 from small-pox for the whole force; and for the Army, 

 the death-rate from small-pox for the whole force, and 

 that from disease for the home force only, foreign deaths 

 from disease not being separately given. 



Here we note, first, the general parallelism of the two 

 lines showing the diminishing total disease-mortality in 

 the two forces, resulting from the greater attention given 

 to sanitation and to general health conditions of both 

 forces during the last thirty or forty years. But, in- 

 stead of small-pox mortality, as shown by the two lower 

 lines of the diagram, absolutely vanishing with the com- 

 plete re vaccination in the Army since 1860, it shows but 

 a small improvement as compared with general disease- 

 mortality; just as if some adverse cause were preventing 

 the improvement. In the Navy the improvement is 

 somewhat greater, and more nearly comparable with 

 that of general disease-mortality. There is, therefore, 

 as regards proportionate decrease, no indication what- 

 ever of any exceptional cause favorably influencing 

 small-pox. 



In Diagram XII. I compare the small-pox mortality 

 of the Army and Navy with that of Ireland, from tables 

 given in the " Final Report " and the Second Report; 

 and we find that this whole country (at ages 15-45) has 

 actually a much lower small-pox mortality than the 

 Army, while it is a little more than in the Navy, al- 

 though the mortality during the great epidemic was 

 higher than any that affected the Army or Navy, owing 

 to its rapid spread by infection in the towns. But the 

 proportionate numbers dying of small-pox in a series of 

 years is, of course, the final and absolute test ; and, apply- 



