ERADICATION OP BERIBERI. 145 



Table VIII. — Comparison of admissions for heriheri among 8couts and 



Constabulary. 





03 



a 



c3 



3 



.c 



S 



g 



P. 



>> 



P 

 





t 

 bo 



< 



p, 



CO 



2 



O 



o 





Scouts 



19 



7 



8 

 14 



12 



1 



3 



1 



4 

 7 



1 



7 





 9 



2 



4 





 3 





 2 





 6 



1 



(?) 



Constabulary 





The Constabulary consists of approximately 4,000 enlisted men, widely 

 scattered thronghout the Archipelago. For some years their beriberi rate 

 has been much less than that for the Scouts, this difference probably 

 being due to the fact that they are differently rationed. The admission 

 rate for 1910 is only one-third that for 1909, but is higher than for 1908. 

 On looking at Table VIII it is obvious that there was no such falling 

 off in the beriberi admission rate among the Constabulary for the last 

 half of 1910 as was seen among the Scouts. 



It must be admitted that the very high Scout death rate (2.17 per 

 1,000) and discharge rate (5.96 per 1,000) for beriberi in the year 1909 

 may have been to some extent responsible for a low admission rate in 

 1910 because these two processes, death and discharge for disability, 

 doubtless eliminated many old chronic cases which had kept returning 

 on sick report after apparently having been cured. We do not think, 

 however, that this was the important feature in lowering the admission 

 rate for 1910. 



V. SUMMAEY AND CONCLUSIONS. 

 THE BOAED STIIi ADHEEES TO THE POLISHED-KICE THEORY OF BEEIBEEI PEODITCTION. 



The real factors in the eradication of beriberi from the Scout organi- 

 zations have been a reduction in the amount of rice consumed and the 

 addition of a legumen. The result was accomplished without the use 

 of undermilled rice. The Board still favors the polished-rice theory of 

 beriberi production as being the one best supported at the present time 

 . by experimental evidence and practical experience in many localities. 

 It is considered that the good results with the Scouts help to support 

 the theory. The Board feels that the adoption of an undermilled grain 

 for the Philippine Scouts will allow rice to be used more freely by these 

 soldiers with less risk of beriberi than would be the case if the polished 

 article were supplied to them. This is a very important point because, 

 as a result of racial taste and custom, a certain number of natives will 

 attempt to subsist mainly on rice no matter how extensive, varied or well 

 balanced may be the diet supplied to them by the subsistence depart- 

 ment. If polished rice is being issued to the troops, those men will be 



