49
  Mortality from disease, in the Royal Navy of Great Britain, is
140 per cent, greater in time of war than of peace ; rising from
an annual rate of 15 or 16 to one of 37 or 38 per 1,000 strength.
The principal increase of  the deaths in the navy, in time of war,
is from disease; the amount of increase from casualties being com-
monly quite inconsiderable.

  The following  statement exhibits a classification of the cases
of disease in the  volunteer  army during a  portion of the cam-
paign, showing, also,  the  per centage of casualties  of all  kinds
(wounds,  accidents, &c.)  for the  same  period,  compared with
like returns from the  army of the Crimea, from April 10, 1854,
to June 30,1856 :
			Army of the	Army of	Army of the Crii
			Potomac.	the West	Ap. 10, '54, to J 80,1866.
Zymotic disease,	(P	er cent.)	- 61.1	76.4	69.8
Constitutional,		a	- 1.2	.6	.5
Local,		a	- 30.7	17.3	15.6
Developmental,		a	- 3.4	3.5	.1
Violence,		a	- 3.6	2.2	14.0
All cases		_	100.0	100.0	100.0
  Two  most important facts appear  on the  face  of this table :
first, the immense disproportion between  cases of disease and of
violence, fully justifying all that has been asserted as  to the loss
an army in  the  field  must expect to sustain  from these causes
respectively.; and, secondly, the great excess of zymotic diseases,
nearly all of which are, in a greater or less degree, preventible by
proper precautions.   For instance, typhus can be almost certainly
averted by systematic attention to cleanliness and ventilation, small-
pox by vaccination,  and  malarious diseases (intermittent fever,
&c.) by quinine.  It  seems apparent, therefore, that it is within
the power of Government, either by the action of the War De-
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