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Mortality Of War

Mortality Of War image
Parent Issue
Day
6
Month
February
Year
1847
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

In all caniaigns the numher of detths on the field of bit'le, or of wounds received thereupon, bcar. but a small prpoition to those which re-ult f rom other cauf. We learn from an auihentic source that the nutnbcr of dt-aths in th? Brilish army, during tho lust tlireeyeirs of the Península wnr, amountod to eixteen per cent. per annum, & of thostibut four par cent. occurred in baitlo. Spainj or at 'east that poriion which was the seat of war, isa lieaMi}' country, and the army was as ve!l furnished ia ihe commissariat and medical departmenis as any that ever took iha field ; yei Ihe number of men in ho-spital usually averaged one-fourth of the whole. In three years and a half, the Bril ají army, the average strength of which did nut exceed 61,500 men, lost 34,000, of which not moro thnn one-fuurth had died by the sword. From these facts it will be peen that it required a yearly sacrifice of 6,400 livea to keep in the field an efiecthe force of 50,000 me-n. Applying this ratio to nn army of 20,000 men, which is about the force operating against Mexico - to say nothing of its bcing a country lesa favorable in poiut of hnalihthan Spain, and-subject to malignant fevers - we may expect an annual mortality of about 3,200, whilst porhnps doubic ihftt number will contract diseases which aro to abridga the lengik of their days, .ind