266 A STUDY IN HEREDITY 



of the Acts was not due to their influence, but was merely part of 

 a general process which began before and was continued after. 

 If this be stated of the country at large, it is undoubtedly true ; 

 the Acts affected only an infinitesimal proportion of the population. 

 If it be stated of the Army as a whole, it is to some extent true ; 

 the Acts were very imperfect, and, as in the case of the general 

 population, affected only a portion of the Army. But if, as has 

 often been done, on this he founded a further statement that the 

 Acts failed to diminish disease in the places where they were 

 applied, then the statement is simply a falsehood. The following 

 is a report of the Army Medical Department, issued May 1878. 

 It will be observed that the stations brought under the Acts were 

 the larger, and that before the Acts came into operation disease 

 was more prevalent in them than in those not brought under the 

 Acts. 



