surgeons' EEPOUTS NEW HAMPSHIRE FIRST DISTRICT. 181 



physician Miaii any otliev two months of the year. Novemhcr and December are healthy months; 

 June and iSTovcniher attord the h'ast jn'oCcssional hnsiness. 



The prevalent inflneTiza and intlammatory throiittionblea are the rosnlt ol' our cohl, damp, 

 east winds, iinpresnated to a greater or less degree with the salt from the ocean. Pneumonia 

 seems to depend (for its exciting cause at least) u[)ou the extreme vicissitudes of the temperature 

 of the atmospliere. If uric or lactic acid in excess in the system is the cause of rheumatism, it 

 would seem that Ihe damp, cold atmosphere of spring is at least an exciting cause and favorable 

 to its development. 



* * * Many young men have been exempted for general debility who were 



more or less afllictcd with scrofula. This, in my opinion, arises mainly from a low state of vitality, 

 caused by improper and meager diet, with insufficient clothing amonj;' the poorer classes, and by 

 im])roper continement from the air among the more wealthy. In my judgment, scrofula finds a 

 powerful agency for its production in the lilthy, damp air of low, marshy localities. It is my ex- 

 perience that the families who reside in such localities suffer most from this disease. 



The fearfully prevalent habit of masturbation is a common cause of feeltleness in many young 

 men. Commenced at an early age, it debilitates aud deranges the nervous system, as manifested 

 by headache, palpitation, uight-sweats, listlessness, and a downcast eye. 



The almost universal use of tobacco by young men of sedentary habits, and by those mechan- 

 ics and operatives who are closely contined to labor in heated apartments, (as are most of our shoe- 

 makers,) is productive of great injury to health, and was the sole discpialilyiug cause for military 

 duty in very many cases that came before me. 



In my Judgmeut, the different sections under paragraph 85 of the Revised Regulatious have 

 been carefully and successfully prepared. I do not incline to recommend much change. I have 

 found but little embarrassment in determining whether a man should be held or exemi)ted under 

 them. In amendment of section 12, I would suggest the jiropriety of exem|)ting a man for loss of 

 the sight of either eye. lie must be constantly embarrassed and in danger of receiving injury, 

 having but one eye to light his path through the world, and he ought to be allowed the best pos- 

 sible chance of preserving that remaining organ. 



I think the distinction drawn between defects of the right and left hand in section 3.3 is erro- 

 neous. I am unable to understand how a soldier can well handle a musket after he has met with 

 the entire loss of either thumb, or with permanent contraction or permanent extension of two 

 fingers of the same hand, either right or left. * * * * # * 



A surgeon without assistance can, I think, examine tifty men daily with sufficient particularity. 



I am sorry to say that drafted men have not generally had sufficient patriotism to deter them from 

 gross exaggeration of their real or supposed diseases. They come fortified with elaborate certifi- 

 cates from sympathizing friends, kind-hearted family physicians, stupid (piacrks, and the learned 

 homeopathist who has testified to the appalling infirmity of "paralysis of the scrotum." There 

 are only a few diseases or infirmities for which a certificate should be received, and these are 

 epilepsy, insanity, asthma, aud [)erhaps a few others. Most of the certificates offered are cal|;u- 

 lated to mislead the drafted man by an exaggeration of his difficulties; they ai^e of no benefit to 

 the surgeon, and are, consequently, worse than useless. But, notwithstanding the multitudinous 

 complaints preferred, a surgeon actuated l)y a ])atriotic desire faithfully to serve his Government, 

 aud by a conscientious concern to do full justice to the dratted man, always giving the man the 

 benefit of a strong doubt, will seldom find himself much embarrassed iu his efforts to make a 

 proper decision. 



While drafted men seem anxious to make the most of their ailments, they seldom attempt a 

 direct fraud. The case is very different with those who offer themselves as volunteers, recruits, or 

 substitutes. No amount of deception is too great and no fraud too vile for them to attempt. Large 

 numbers of old men present themselves with their hair dyed, and with their whiskers aud mustache 

 either dyed or shaven off'. It is not ditiicuit to distinguish hair that has been colored ; if any doubt 

 exist, the hair u])on the body will settle the question. Many boys also, froni fourteen to twenty 

 years of age, have presented themselves for examination and enlistment. It is painful to witness 

 the moral turpitude they exhibit in the false representations they have been induce<l to make 

 respecting their ages aud places of residence. They have generally been summarily rejected. There 



