At the outbreak of the Civil War almost nothing was done in the two armies to prevent the outbreak and dissemination of diseases; the assembling of so many troops rendered severe pestilences inevitable. The successful activity of numerous voluntary societies did a great deal of good in the way of improved methods of sanitation; the centre from which this activity emanated was an officially recognized Sanitary Commission, founded on June 15, 1861, which made the prevention of pestilences its principal function. It was enabled to carry on its work by large voluntary contributions of money. The means which the Commission employed were: good equipment, food, and shelter for the men, isolation of men suffering from infectious diseases, burning of the clothes, beds, and tents used by these patients, erection of clean, well-ventilated barrack-lazarets, and comprehensive plans for transferring invalid soldiers from the field-hospitals.[210] Since upwards of a million men, counting both sides, were gradually brought face to face with one another, the loss of human life was necessarily terrible. Regarding the losses sustained by the Northern States, we are excellently informed by an exhaustive health-report in six volumes, issued by the United States.[211] The report also contains some statistics regarding the prevalence of disease among the Confederates and regarding the prisoners, but no figures relating to the losses sustained by the Southern States are available. Regarding the total loss of troops sustained by the Northern States, we find the following compilation:[212] _Cause of death._ _White troops._ _Coloured troops._ _Total._ Killed in battle 42,724 1,514 44,238 Died from wounds, &c. 47,445 1,760 49,205 Suicide, murder, execution 469 57 526 Diseases 157,004 29,212 186,216 Unknown causes 23,347 837 24,184 ——————— —————— ——————— Total 270,989 33,380 304,369 If we divide the deaths of unknown cause proportionally among the other groups, the total number of deaths among the white troops due to diseases was 171,806, and among the coloured troops 29,963. In the statistical table in the first volume of the _Medical History_ the figures relating to the number of deaths are not complete; the total numbers given there are: