[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR]
Sta,—Major Reynolds makes the statement that the figure of 84.5 per cent. of the first 17,865 Militiamen placed in Grade I can be compared with the report of the War-time Ministry of National Service, working to the same medical standards in 1917-18, that only 36 per cent. of the men then examined were found to be Grade I. Before these figures can be fairly compared, however, and conclusions of any value drawn, it would be necessary to know :
t. Did the War-time figure refer only to men of the same age category as the present Militiamen, viz., 20-21 years? It would clearly be unfair to compare the fitness for military service of men of, say, 40-45, with that of men of 20-21. 2. If the ages of the men examined are comparable, was the War-time figure based on a fair sample of all men of 20-21, or was it merely an indication of the physical fitness of the residue left as civilians, after a large proportion of the fit men had already joined the Services?
It would be very helpful to all who are interested in the physique of the nation if Major Reynolds could answer these questions, and if he could also say what proportion of the young men called up in 1917 and 1918, on attaining the then conscription age of 18, were placed in Grade I.—I am, Sir, &c.,
C. T. BRUNNER.
40 Mecklenburgh Square, London, W.C. .r.
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