70 On Scientific Physical Training 
and curvatures of the spine. Scotland excels in loss and 
decay of many teeth, which is deemed a symptom of bad 
health, defects of both upper and lower extremities, and 
varicose veins. Ireland has the largest number of diseases 
of the eyes. Having mentioned varicose veins, I wish 
to point out that while the French have 10 per cent., the 
English count 28 per cent. 
Half our recruits examined in 1860 were described as 
labourers, husbandmen, or servants. One-fourth came 
from mechanical occupations, which are in general favour- 
aan to physical development, as carpenters, smiths, masons, 
of 
The proportion of rejections with regard to occupations 
is also instructive ; amongst mechanics the amount of rejec- 
tions was 27 per cent. ; manufacturing artizans, 26 per 
cent.; labourers, husbandmen, and servants, 25 per cent. ; 
shopmen and clerks, 23 per cent.; professional occupation 
and students, 16 per cent. 
Of 530 candidates for railway employment, 201 were re- 
jected. The chief causes of rejection were small and mal- 
formed chest in 92 cases. This is from the report of the 
medical officers of the Great Western and its Associated 
Railways Provident Society for 1862. 
It is a blessing that our female. population is not enticed 
by the recruiting sergeant to accept the shilling, and if I 
were obliged to state the amount of rejections amongst 
females, the number of those who are unfit for hard work 
would exceed fifty per cent.; because we must add to the 
complaints of the rejected recruits all the bad effects 
of tight dresses, of corsets, stays, bodices, waistbands, busks, © 
and of other injurious influence, by which our female popu- 
lation only is affected. How numerous the complaints 
arising from these causes are, every medical man who has 
paid some attention to this subject is able to state. . 
People unfortunately believe that illness under every 
form is a dispensation of a higher power, and that they can 
but submit to it, and thus they try, only when ill, to re- 
cover health. 
Many are not aware that a kind Providence has given 
us the means of preventing a large amount of diseases, the 
majority of which are but a certain and necessary effect of 
causes, which could be removed if we would not neglect 
the elementary laws of health revealed tous for our own 
_ well-being, as well as for that of our less educated fellow- 
creatures. 
