Both types of sets were designed to make available to medical men the information derived from the specimens and clinical records flowing into the Institute from medical installations all over the world. The emphasis, of course, was upon the pathology of the soldier— the military-age group roughly defined as from 18 to 38 years. "Never before," said Colonel Ash, "has there been an opportunity to learn so much about the pathology of this military age group; only now as a result of the Army policy of centralization have significant data been available to cover this presumably healthy span." In contrast with the knowledge of diseases at other times of life— infancy, childhood, middle life, and old age— information about young adults was scarce indeed.
The pathological findings were, in many cases, surprising. For example, while it had long been known that fatal coronary disease is suffered by the young, the number of fatalities from this cause was unexpectedly large. Study of the first 80 cases received at the Institute showed that about one-third of these deaths were in men under 30 years of age, and that overweight was a common condition among those so stricken. Another unexpectedly large figure was that of malignancies in the gastrointestinal tract. In fact, tumors of various types were found to be more prevalent than had theretofore been realized.24[1]
Among the disease conditions which were the subject of special studies by the Institute staff and its resident consultants were infections of the central and peripheral nervous systems, and the group of diseases transmissible to man by the bite of an infected louse, flea, tick, or mite, known generically as rickettsial diseases, named for Dr. Howard Taylor Ricketts who lost his life to typhus.
Other special studies by the staff included malaria and the results of its treatment with Atabrine; heat stroke, a subject of particular interest to an Army which was to do much of its fighting in areas of high temperature; failure of the kidneys to function as a result of crushing injuries to other parts of the body, burns, or transfusions of incompatible blood; and tumors of various types and localization. These studies were carried on in conjunction with, or at the same time as, those of other agencies investigating like conditions, and all such studies were greatly furthered by the collection, in one central location, of significant numbers of cases of each type. 25[2]
As an example of the prompt and expert diagnostic and consultative service offered by the Institute, as an aid in the reduction of health hazards, there was
