amined, having been as high as 24.9 per cent, in one district and as 

 low as 15.8 in another. The principal causes of rejection were diseases 

 and defects of the eyes, 6.1 per cent. ; general debility, including anemia, 

 etc., 1.9 per cent.; followed by flatfoot and other diseases of the feet, 

 1.5 per cent.; spinal curvature, etc., 1.5 per cent.; diseases of the ears, 

 0.95 per cent. ; hernia, 0.9 per cent. ; diseases of the heart, 0.6 per cent. ; 

 tuberculosis of the lungs, 0.6 per cent., and goitre, 0.09 per cent. 

 Aside from diseases of the heart, however, heart murmurs, etc., ac- 

 counted for 0.3 per cent, of the examined, a total of 0.88 per cent, for 

 all diseases of the heart, as far as reported. Of special significance 

 is the relatively high rate of rejection on account of spinal curvature, 

 which, however, may be explained by special attention to an impair- 

 ment frequently not recognized by superficial examinations. 



Of special interest in the statistics of Holland are the anthropometric 

 data, which extend over the period 1863-1910 and which indicate a 

 persistent decline in the proportion of recruits of a stature of less than 

 155 cm. and an increase in the proportion of those of 170 cm. and over. 

 At the beginning of the period the proportion of minimum stature was 

 11.09 per cent, of those examined, against 1.98 per cent, at the end. 

 The proportion of a stature above 170 cm. was 24 per cent, dur- 

 ing 1863-67, which by 1906-10 had increased to 54.61 per cent. 

 Whether this increase, however, is not more apparent than 

 real is not made clear by the statistics, which are suggestive of 

 extreme caution in connection with their use as regards the probable 

 physical improvement of Dutch recruits. The stature varies considerably 

 for the different provinces. The proportion below the prescribed mini- 

 mum of 155 cm. has been as high as 3.74 per cent, in one district and as 

 low as 0.88 per cent, in another during the last quinquennial period for 

 which the information is available. The general conclusion, however, 

 would seem justified that the proportion of recruits below the average 

 stature is now less in Holland than in former years. 



RECRUITING STATISTICS OF RUSSIA AND FINLAND 

 The recruiting statistics of Russia and of Finland are too fragmen- 

 tary to permit of definite conclusions. For Finland the ratio of perma- 

 nently rejected recruits has varied considerably from year to year, hav- 

 ing been at a minimum of 20.25 per cent, during 1903 and a maximum 

 of 62.69 per cent, in 1894. The returns indicate the decided influence of 

 changes in rules and regulations and cannot be accepted without an 

 analysis in detail, for which the data are at present not available. 



RECRUITING STATISTICS OF GREAT BRITAIN 



The recruiting statistics for Great Britain are not comparable with 

 those of the countries thus far examined or discussed, in that they relate 

 exclusively to volunteers instead of to conscripts, and to a class of vol- 

 unteers which cannot be considered typical of the British male popula- 



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