The number of French prisoners taken to Germany in the first few months of the year 1871 was no less than 372,918; the prisoners who at the very beginning, but especially after the surrender of Metz, were transported in large numbers to Germany, had to be distributed throughout the entire Empire, clear over to the eastern boundary. Owing to the fact that new transports of French prisoners were constantly arriving at the German frontier, which, in consequence of severe hardships and privations, they reached in such a weak physical condition that they could not be taken very far inland, it became necessary to transfer some of the earlier arrivals to other places of detention, and this, of course, favoured the further dissemination of the disease. This transference was rendered particularly necessary by the arrival of large numbers of prisoners after the battle of Sedan (September 1), after the capitulation of Metz (October 27), and after the battles of Orléans and Le Mans (December and January respectively). Small-pox occasionally broke out among these prisoners while they were on their way to Germany, rendering it necessary to leave them behind, or else the disease made its appearance when they reached their destination; as a rule, however, the first cases of the disease were observed a few days after their arrival at their place of detention, where they soon infected the other prisoners. The further dissemination of the disease among them was checked by means of wholesale vaccination. Of the prisoners, 14,178, all told (38 per cent of the total number taken), contracted small-pox, and of these 1,963 (5·26 per cent) died. The statistics in the German Health Report indicate distinctly the number of prisoners in the various states and provinces that contracted and succumbed to the disease; but the total number of prisoners taken is known only in the case of the larger states in the Confederation, since the statistics in the Report are compiled on the basis of the army-corps districts, which do not coincide with the political divisions. The figures for the larger states are as follows: _Maximum no. _Patients _Deaths per prisoners._ _Patients._ _Deaths._ per 1,000._ 100 cases._ N. Germany, excluding Kingdom of Saxony 283,750 10,547 1,527 37·2 14·5 Kingdom of Saxony 10,234 248 18 24·2 7·3 Bavaria 40,083 1,607 196 40·0 12·2 Württemberg 12,958 390 28 38·1 7·2 Baden 12,083 512 21 42·4 4·1 Grand Duchy of Hesse 13,810 874 173 63·3 19·8 ——————— —————— ————— ———— ———— All Germany 372,918 14,178 1,963 38·0 13·8