THE SELECTIVE INFLUENCE OF WAR 2n 



Franco-Prussian war the increase in deaths among the civilian 

 population of France was greatly in excess of the total deaths in 

 the army. The excess of deaths over the number for 1869 was 

 183,000 for 1870 and 407,000 for 1871, while the total deaths of 

 soldiers and officers for the two years (1870 and 1871) of the 

 war was 140,000. These are grouped by Bodart as follows: 



Killed and died of wounds 60,000 



Died in prison 17,000 



Died in Switzerland and Belgium 2,000 



(after being disarmed) 



Died of disease and exhaustion 61,000 



Total 140,000 



It is evident that no small part of the biological influence of 

 war must depend upon the effect produced on the civilian popula- 

 tion. In a great many cases this must have been much greater 

 than the influence of death on the battle field. The varied 

 character of this effect, however, precludes any treatment of the 

 subject in general terms. Besides, we know as yet but little as to 

 just what, in any case, the biological results have been. 



It is urged that a partial compensation for losses in battle is 

 afforded by the greater chance for marriage enjoyed by men who 

 have been in the army. The marriage rate, which is low during 

 war time, goes up quickly after peace is resumed. Nature has 

 endowed the female sex with a commendable partiality for the 

 mihtary hero. This circumstance, combined with the fact that 

 the superior vigor of the returning soldiers would tend to make 

 them more prolific would, it is claimed, keep the more virile stocks 

 from being depleted. We have to consider in this connection, 

 however, the influence of venereal infection which army life has 

 unfortunately tended to intensify and also the after effect of war 

 on the health and longevity of the soldier. As Lapouge has re- 

 marked, "a la caserne memQ et en pleine paix, des deteriorations 

 sont produites en nombre par le sur menage, par les typhoides 

 benignes, par les affections veneriennes. Beaucoup d'hommes 



