HEALTH IN THE PHILIPPINES. 279 



teachers in the Islands; there have been in former years upwards of 900, 

 nearly one-third of whom have been women. In his last annual report 

 the Director of Education states: "The statistics for the past year show 

 an average of but six days' illness for each American teacher in the 

 service. The general health of the force is excellent. So far as we 

 have been able to determine, teachers enjoy on the average as good health 

 here as in the United States, and our experience shows more conclusively 

 every year that the teacher who takes reasonable care of himself has no 

 cause to dread the effects of this climate." 



For the years 1902 to 1907, inclusive, the total number of American 

 teachers who died in the Philippines or in the United States because of 

 illness contracted in the Philippines is 60. The first considerable num- 

 ber of teachers, 600, arrived in the Islands in August, 1901, in which 

 year one death occurred within a few days after arrival in the Islands, 

 the cause being nephritis (probably chronic). There has been one death 

 during the present calendar year from violence, making 62 in all. Sixteen 

 deaths resulted from injuries or violence, the remaining 46 from diseases 

 as follows : smallpox 11, cholera 9, dysentery 7, typhoid fever 3, tuber- 

 culosis 3, nephritis 3, one each from encephalitis, cerebral haemorrhage, 

 cerebral meningitis, pneumonia, diphtheria, abortion, heart disease, 

 hepatic abscess, and two unknown. There were no deaths from malarial 

 fever and diseases not incident to duty, which so seriously interfere 

 with the health and efficiency of soldiers. Malarial fever was the 

 cause, next to tuberculosis, of the highest death rate during the year 

 1906 among the American troops in the Philippines. Comparative 

 freedom from these diseases accounts in a measure for the comparatively 

 low sick and death rates among teachers. 



The number of deaths by years was as follows: In 1901, one; 1902, 

 sixteen; 1903, sixteen; 1904, nine; 1905, seven; 1906, seven; and 1907, 

 five. The larger number of deaths during 1902 and 1903 is accounted 

 for partly by the fact that teachers appointed prior to 1904 were not 

 subjected to thorough physical examination before appointment, and 

 partly by unfavorable conditions of living in the Philippines in the early 

 years of American occupation. There were twenty deaths from small- 

 pox and cholera, all of which save three from smallpox, occurred prior to 

 1904. Some teachers came to the Islands during 1901, 1902, and 1903 

 who were in ill health in the United States, hoping that the change of 

 climate would be beneficial. It is a fact that the health of many of 

 these was improved and maintained during their stay in the Islands. 



These statistics are fairly indicative of the effectiveness of the applica- 

 tion of prophylactic and hygienic measures and of the general health of 

 Americans throughout the Islands. Deaths among the white population 

 of the Philippines from smallpox and Asiatic cholera are now happily 

 rare, and the illness and mortality from those obstinate diseases which 

 prevail in the United States, such as pneumonia (the second in mor- 



