140 



CHAMBERLAIN. 



Such a rice can now be produced in these Islands and the millers state 

 that its keeping qualities should be equal to those of highly milled rice. 

 The Board has recently examined samples of a rice from Siam styled 

 "Asylum ISTo. IV." This is an undermilled rice prepared under the super- 

 vision of Doctor Highet, of Bangkok, who states that it has been used 

 for six months in an asylum and found to prevent the development of 

 beriberi. Except for an occassional red grain, the rice is white and has 

 much the larger part of the pericarp remaining on the kernels. There 

 are very few unhusked or badly broken grains. The dealers state that 

 they can furnish in quantity rice conforming to this standard. This 

 rice is found by the Bureau of Science to contain 0.52 per cent of phos- 

 phorus pentoxide and this we consider an index of its safety. It appears 

 that rices containing over 0.4 per cent of phosphorus pentoxide will 

 prevent beriberi, and this can be used as an indicator, irrespective of 

 whether or not one accepts the phosphorus theory of beriberi production. 



II. GREAT EEDUCTION IN THE BERIBERI ADMISSION RATE IN THE YEAR 1910. 



The numerous changes which have occurred in the ScoUt ration during 

 the year 1910 render necessary a somewhat elaborate analysis of the 

 situation before one can decide to which factors should be ascribed any 

 peculiarity which may be found in the beriberi rate for the period. Prom 

 the standpoint of scientific dietetic study it is unfortunate that so many 

 alterations were made in such close sequence. 



Let us now determine if any peculiarity is manifest in the beriberi 

 admission rate for the year 1910. A glance at the following statistical 

 tables will settle the question by showing an unprecedented decrease in 

 the amount of that disease among the Scouts for the calendar year 1910. 



Table IV. — Beriberi statistics for Philippine Scouts, calendar yea/rs 1902 to 1910. 



Calendar year. 



Mean 

 strength 

 Surgeon- 

 General's 



Office. 



Admissions. 



Deaths. 



Discharges for 

 disability. 



Num- 

 ber. 



Rate per 

 1,000. 



Num- 

 ber. 



Rate per 

 1,000. 



Num- 

 ber. 



Rate per 

 1,000. 



1902 .. 



4,826 

 4,789 

 4,610 

 4,732 

 4,759 

 4,679 

 5,085 

 5,369 

 5,422 



598 

 614 

 334 

 ,170 

 176 

 115 

 618 

 558 

 50 



123. 92 

 128. 21 



74.62 

 35.93 

 36.98 

 24.58 

 121. 54 



103. 93 

 10.00 



29 

 22 

 7 

 6 

 9 

 6 

 7 

 12 

 2 



6.01 

 4.59 

 1.52 

 1.21 

 1.79 

 1.28 

 1.35 

 2.17 

 0.36 



2 

 5 

 6 

 1 

 6 

 3 

 13 

 33 

 3 



0.41 

 1.04 

 1.30 

 0.02 

 1-.19 

 0.54 

 2.50 

 5.96 

 0.55 



1903. 



1904 



1905 



1906 



1907 



1908 



1909 — 



1910 





