but, as stated before, the data require to be used with extreme caution. 

 In view of the alleged prevalence of tuberculosis among the French 

 troops during the present war, it is extremely significant to find that the 

 ratio of rejections for tuberculosis of the lungs increased from 0.23 

 per cent, in 1885 to 0.59 per cent, in 1905. For more recent years not 

 all of the details are available. Goitre of all forms decreased from 0.5 

 per cent, in 1887 to 0.1 per cent, during 1907-10. Hernia decreased 

 from 2.7 per cent, in 1887 to 0.4 per cent, during 1907-10, while 

 flatfoot decreased from 0.46 per cent, in 1887 to 0.19 per cent, in 1905. 

 There was a decided decline in rejections on account of general debility, 

 from 3.0 per cent, in 1873 to 0.7 per cent, in 1905; but during the 

 period 1907-10 the rate increased quite considerably, or, specifically, 

 to 1.6 per cent., a figure not reached before since 1882. There are 

 reasons for believing that this apparently considerable decline in the 

 frequency of general debility is more apparent than real, and that in all 

 probability the increasing demand for the largest possible number of 

 acceptable recruits accounts for the falling off in the rejection rate, 

 applying to a group of physical defects difficult of exact diagnosis or 

 adjudication for recruiting purposes. 



The frequency of tuberculosis in France among recruits has been as- 

 certained for the different army corps according to departments, and a 

 startling range in the variation of the local incidence has been disclosed, 

 the accuracy of which has unhappily been confirmed by the experience 

 during the early part of the present war. The highest ratio of tubercu- 

 losis is met with throughout the Northern Department, but chiefly in the 

 Department of the Northwest. In contrast, the frequency of heart dis- 

 ease or organic heart impairment was decidedly more common in the 

 more or less mountainous provinces. The proportion of recruits of a 

 deficient stature was lowest in the Northeastern Department of 

 France. And approximately this conclusion holds good for the Middle 

 Departments, while in the Northwestern section and the West and 

 South, practically throughout, the percentage of recruits below 162 cm. 

 was below the general average. Proportionately the largest number of 

 short recruits came from the Bretagne, as well as from the Southwest, 

 chiefly Gascogne and Guiene. 



VARIATIONS OF STATURE OF EUROPEAN ARMIES 

 Schwiening gives a table of percentages for four different European 

 countries, according to which out of every 100 recruits examined the 

 following were of the proportion of less than 160 cm. in stature : 

 Wiirttemberg, 11.8 per cent.; Prussia, 13.0 per cent.; Bavaria, 14.7 per 

 cent., and Austro-Hungary, 22.9 per cent. The proportion of tallest 

 recruits, or such as had a stature of 170 cm. and over, was highest in 

 Prussia, 31.1 per cent., followed by Wiirttemberg, with 27.7 per cent., 

 Bavaria, 27.1 per cent., and Austro-Hungary, 22.1 per cent. 



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