282 surgeons' rkpouts — new jersey — first district. 



lion as ii favorable residence for jjersoiis afliictetl witU sncli diseases. It uow contains two large 

 settlements, coiuimsed chiefly of tbat class of invalids, wlio Lave gone tbere from the adjacent and 

 Is'ew England States for the expected in)))roveinent of health. Opportnnity was taken to make 

 inijuiry of many of theui who came under notice whether any benefit had been obtained by the 

 change, to which an afidrmative leply was generally given. 



The country is level. That portion of it which lies in the valley of the Delaware, extending 

 back from the river for a breadth of from sixteen to twenty miles. i)0ssesses alight sandy soil, very 

 lertile and productive, and, for th(^ most part, in a high state of cultivation. Along the ocean-border 

 of the district luns another, but much narrower, belt of alluvial soil of the same character; while 

 intermediate between the two is a w ilderuess, called, " The Pines," whose soil, for the most part, is 

 a coarse white sand, much of it being wet and swamjjy, and covered with a growth of pine and cedar, 

 thiough ^hich still roams the deer, and all occasional bear. 



The climate partakes of the general character of that of the temperate zone, the fortieth parallel 

 of north latitude passing through the district. The sea-coast i)art is favored with a more equable 

 tenijierature tluui the interior portiou ; the severe cohl of winter and the extreme heat of summer 

 both being moderated by the more uniform temperature of the ocean. It contains the well-known 

 wateiing-places of Cape May and Atlantic City, at which points the thermometer rarely rises in the 

 shade above S(to Fahrenheit, even in midsummer. It was here that my connection with the boaid 

 of enrollment commenced, on the 9th of May, 1803. For the first few months the medical examina- 

 tions were confined to a few jipplicants for admission to the Veteran IJeserve Corps. 



On the 23d of Novendief, 18G3, the examination of enrolled men for exemption on the grounds 

 of physical disability commenced, and up to the oth of January, 1864, six hundred and seventy-five 

 men were examined. As no recruiting was carried on at this office during the winter of 1863-4, 

 no exiiminalions were made until March of the latter year, when that of recruits was com- 

 menced, and continued, in connection w ith those of substitutes, drafted and enrolled men, without 

 cessation, through three consecutive drafts, up to the 14th of xVpril, 1865. The total number of men 

 physically examined during the whole of this period was 7,883. 

 The pi-oportion of men exempted was as follows : 



Per cent. 



Drafted men 43. 4 



Erolled men . - - • 48. 4 



The ratio of men rejected was : 



Eecruits 40.9 



Substitutes 46. 1 



It will be observed that there is considerable unifornuty in the ratio of rejections in the four 

 classes examined. The proportion of enrolled men exempted exceeds that of drafted men, for the 

 reason that many who are i)erfectly sound claim examination, wlien compelled to satisfy the demands 

 of the dratt, who, under other circumstances, do not care to submit to the ordeal. The ratio of 

 substitutes rejected likewise exceeds tl.at of volunteers, because a much inferior class of men, both 

 mentally and ph.\sically, offer to enlist in the former capacity rather than in the latter; the idea of 

 substitution being very obnoxious to the more intelligent portiou of the applicants, many of whom 

 cannot be induced by any amount of remuneration to enlist under that title. 



Of all disqualifying causes, hernia furnished the largest number of exemptions. Of the 1,750 

 men released from liability to military duty by reason of physical disability, 325, or 18.4 per cent., of 

 the whole number had that infirmity. Of these there were of — 



Inguinal hernia of the right side 179 



Inguinal hernia of the left side - 118 



Inguinal hernia of both sides 21 



Femoral hernia of the right side 1 



Femoral hernia of the left side 2 



Ventral hernia 4 



• Total 325 



