478 surgeons' reports — California — northern district. 



the service for pain iu the chest" — "that his general health is not good, and three years ago he fell 

 out of a wagon in a tit" — "that he was not stripped at his first exin)inatiou " — " tljat he was not 

 examined at all " — " that he only enlisted to escape the draft." Wiien such statements are recorded 

 repeatedly in official reports, recommending tlie discharge of men, 1 am justified in inferring that 

 they had some weight in the decision of the cases. Much of this can be prevented by retaining the 

 local bounty until the recruit or substitute passes the final examination at general rendezvous. If 

 rejected, the bounty should belong to the Government, in lien of his services, and the sub-district 

 retain the credit. The men, under this rule, should be examined promptly within three days after 

 arriving at general rendezvous. None should be allowed, as has been done, to remain unexamined 

 or unreported for four months. Drafted men should be examined at general rendezvous by the 

 same rules enjoined on surgeons of boards of enrollment. This is too evident to need urging, yet 

 until recently it has not been done iu this district. 



The recruits, substitutes, and drafted men examined by me were principally natives of the 

 United States, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Ireland, England, and Canada. 



In my opinion, the natives of the United States present very decidedly the greatest physical 

 aptitude for military service. 



I have examined too few of the colored race to form a very decided opinion as to their physical 

 qualifications for military servdce. Those that I have examined, however, have been found fully 

 equal to the average of the white race. * * * 



J. H. STEWART, 

 Surgeon Board of Enrollment Second District of Minnesota. 

 Saint Paul, Minn., Blay 30, 1865. 



CALIFORNIA— NORTHERN DISTRICT. 

 Extracts from report of Dr. Lorenzo Hubbard. 



* * * Iu the Northern District of California, during my term of office, there have 



been examined about six hundred recruits, and twenty-four men claiming exemption from the draft. 



Recruits were mostly from the mining-districts, perhaps one-eighth being farmers and mechan- 

 ics. The largest number of the men were between the ages of 18 and 38 years, this being not far 

 from the average of the extremes in the ages of our male population. They were generally from 

 au industrious class of citizens, having for the most part been disappointed in the attainment of 

 the object which brouglit them to the State. Iu such a population we should not expect to find a 

 great variety of infirmities. Most of the applicants were young, and physically perfectly devel- 

 oped, having been accustomed to continual hard labor, but not to such a degree as to impair the 

 constitution. 



Occasionally a recruit is offered who has suffered from hernia, varicocele, or varicose veins 

 of the lower extremities. I mention these disabilities here, because they are the most com- 

 mon, being generally induced by lifting and slip|)iug iu the performance of labor incident to min- 

 ing. Defects of the eye are also very common in California ; teamsters and herders suffer more 

 than any other class of persons from this caune, owing to their continual exposure to the burning 

 rays of the sun, and to the clouds of dust that enveloi) them a considerable ])ortion of (he time. 



Perhaps, also, in California a larger proportion of the male population have suffered from syph- 

 ilis than in some of the older States; but, as a general thing, I am inclined to believe that our 

 recruits are su])erior to those of any other, except, perhaps, of some of the border States. 



General debility and disease of the internal organs, occasioned by malarious fevers, are com- 

 mon in the valleys of this State. The constitution once^ undermined by these fevers, the patient 

 seldom, if ever, so far recovers as to be able to endure continued hard labor, and a few days 

 fatigue generally finds him, if a recruit, iu the aml)ulaiice or the hospital. 



The Northern District of California comjjrises all that part of the State north of the bays of 

 San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun, following the west bank of the Sacramento River to the 

 southern boundary of Sutter County; thence easterly, including Sutter, Yuba, aud Sierra Counties, 



