ON ETHNO-CL.IMATOLOGY. 139 



(although nearly all old men) was, in 1859, 8-19, while with the British 

 troops it was 18"08 per thousand. On the West Coast of Africa, there are 

 no white troops to compare with the black troops. The Army Report says, 

 " The force consisted entirely of blacks, with the exception of four or five 

 European sergeant-majors, of whom three died in the course of the year — 

 two of fever at the Gambia, and a third of dysentery at Accra." 



The deaths of black troops at Sierra Leone, in a thousand, was 14;"02 ; 

 at the Gambia, SS'ii ; and on the Gold Coast, 25-06. The mortality 

 of the white troops serving at Ceylon, from 1837 to ISiG, was 41 •74 

 per thousand ; and in 1859 the mortality decreased to 35*06 : while, with 

 the so-called black troops, the deaths in a thousand, from 1837 to 184'6, 

 were 26*71 ; and in 1859, 10-19. The ratio of mortality with the Ceylon 

 Rifles (Malays) is the same as that of the male population of this country. 

 In the same Report we find, under the head of China, what are called 

 " native troops," which we discover to be Bengal Native Infantry, &c. The 

 mortality of these troops from India is at the rate of 53-73 per thousand, 

 without reckoning those who died subsequently from disease contracted 

 in China; while, with the British troops serving in China, the mortality 

 slightly exceeded that of the Indian troops, being 59*35 per thousand — no 

 less than 42-58 of this number having died of miasmatic disease. Sir T. G. 

 Logan, in his Report on the Sanitary State of the Army, says, " The topo- 

 graphical character, however, of Hong Kong was acknowledged to preclude 

 improvement to any considerable extent in the health of European troops, 

 and its retention as the chief military station of the command could not 

 be thought desirable in a sanitary point of view. .The principal medical 

 officer's report refers to the circumstance that the annual expenditure of 

 men by death and invaliding had been averaged at 20 per cent., being more 

 than double of what it is in India ; and that, notwithstanding every means 

 had been taken, and no expense spared, to preserve the health of the troops, 

 the results were still very unsatisfactory." 



But the great mistake which most writers on the. diseases of tropical 

 countries commit is the neglect to ascribe the large amount of disease to 

 the true source, viz. the inadaptibility of Europeans to tropical countries. 

 Nearly every medical writer on the diseases of India tries to prove that the 

 large mortality is produced by some preventable cause ; but a little inquiry 

 into the diseases which attack the natives and Europeans will destroy this 

 delusive hope. First, then, with a given strength of Europeans and natives 

 we find that, with the three sorts of fevers, intermittent, remittent, and 

 continued, there are in 



Bengal 3-76 deaths of Europeans to 1 Native. 



Bombay 2*54 „ „ to 1 „ 



Madras 1-23 „ „ to 1 „ 



The admissions for fever amongst Europeans were from 



Percentage of admis- 

 sions to strength. Deaths. 



Bengal /l812tol815 84*85 650 



^ ■)l850tol854 100-25 100*06 



Bombav jl811tol814 66-34 2-21 



liombay |i850tol854 63-10 0*78 



Madras 11829 to 1832 29-52 1-21 



1 1848 to 1851 28-46 0-52 



