218 surgeons' reports — Massachusetts — ninth district. 



This part of the country is usually healthy, and, with the exception of inflammatory affections 

 of the lungs, has no prevailing diseases but what are common everywhere. There is no doubt that 

 the dampness of spiing and autumn is conducive to inflammatory aflections. Tubercular diseases 

 are not as common as in the eastern part of the State, near the sea shore. 



The inhabitants, as a class, are intelligent, active, and enterprising. Their occupation in the 

 hill-towns is jirincipally farming ; in the valley-towns, manufacturing and farming. Among the 

 farmers, a man is esteemed according to the amount of physical labor he is able to perform, and it 

 is plainly to be seen that too much labor has produced among this class its sad effects, as seen in 

 the young men from twenty to forty years of age, who often show by their stiflened joints and 

 general disabilities the marks of premature old age. 



In my report of the examinations of drafted men in 186.3, I mentioned that the examinations 

 showed a much larger proportion of both physical and mental disabilities in hill-farming districts 

 than in valley-manufacturing towns. Thus, in hilly farming towns there was one case of mental 

 imbecility in every Ibrty-tive examined, while in valley-towns there was only one case in every one 

 hundred and twenty-two examinations. This may be partly owing to a large share of the healthy 

 and enterprising removing from the hill to the valley towns, while the physically and mentally dis- 

 abled remained at home. 



The number of cases of epilepsy and other head-diseases show about the same relative pro- 

 portion. * * « 



I believe section 5, " Organic diseases of internal organs," covers too much ground, and that 

 valuable medical statistics are lost if no record is kept of special organs, as the heart, liver, kid- 

 neys, &c. It seems to me that the number and kind of organic diseases of the heart are of quite 

 as much importance as any others; and when the field of observation is so large, and when scientific 

 facts can be gathered, nothing important should be left out. I would therefore respectfully recom- 

 mend an alteration of section 5, so as to have a separate heading for each internal organ. With 

 regard to the other sections, I would not recommend any alteration. # # » 



I find the average time required to examine a recruit to be six minutes. I believe a thorough 

 examination cannot be made much, if any, short of that time. Tliis would give us, for six hours' 

 work, SM-ty examinations, which is as many as the surgeon can make and do justice to the Govern- 

 ment or himself. 



Eelative to the frauds practiced by drafted and enrolled men to escape military service, the 

 most common is feigning diseases of the joints, chronic rheumatism being most frequently alleged. 



* # »***»» 



With substitutes and recruits, it is no uncommon thing for those who have no teeth to go to a 

 dentist and have a set made on vulcanized rubber, the color of which nearly corresponds with the 

 color of the gums, and when they are covered with tobaccojuice they are well calculated to 

 deceive. Hernia, which has been kept back by a truss, will often remain up several hours 

 without the truss, and is liable to deceive the surgeon without a careful exploration of the inguinal 

 canal. 



As to what nationality presents the greatest aptitude for military service, I think I can safely 

 say Americans. * * # 



My experience as to the physical qualifications of the colored race for military service being 

 very limited, having made but very few examinations of this class, I am not prepared to give an 

 opinion, but from what I have seen should think them not inferior to the whites. 



Finally, as to the operation of the enrollment-law as it now exists, I will say the new state of 

 things brought on by the war required anew order of things; and this law, although in some 

 res[)ects contrary to the spirit of our people, has been growing more and more in popular favor, 

 and I believe its practical working has been as perfect as its authors could have reasoucably 

 expected. » • # 



E. C. EICHARDSON, 

 Surgeon Board of Enrollment Ninth District of Massachusetts. 



Greenfield, Mass., June 10, 18G5. 



