SIR WALTER FOSTER (Derbyshire, Ilkeston)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War whether he can state the number of cases of enteric fever and the number of deaths from that disease which have occurred among the troops in 800 South Africa in December, 1901, and in January and February, 1902; whether he is able to give any particulars as to the incidence of the disease upon camps and moving columns respectively; and whether any special precautions are being taken to prevent the occurrence of the disease in the columns and in the camps.
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR WAR (Mr. BRODRICK,) Surrey, GuildfordThe figures for the three months are as follows—
| Admissions. | Deaths. | |
| December | 1,507 | 224 |
| January | 2,750 | 396 |
| February | 2,122 | 333 |
§ The Principal Medical Officer reports that the enteric cases mostly come from the columns, but it is not possible to obtain figures from the statistics to show this clearly. In the camps and stationary garrisons steps have been taken to have the water boiled and special officers selected to deal with the sanitary work of districts and the outbreak of disease. For mobile columns a scheme of providing safe water to fill the soldiers' water-bottles at all times has been prepared, involving an increase in the water carts, and measures are being taken to carry this out. Officers have been specially instructed as regards the necessity of preventing the men from drinking water from unsafe sources; but it is not too much to say that no instructions will prevent thirsty men committing such indiscretion, and many soldiers when in hospital have admitted that they preferred the risk to the otherwise unavoidable delay.