| Description | Journal kept by McGrigor during the Peninsular campaign, recording in particular the different types of diseases treated at the hospital stations and in the various regimental hospitals. A summary of the contents is listed below. McGrigor sometimes writes the date 1815 instead of 1813 by mistake (for example, see page 3).
Page 2 (1): On the 1st of this month, the Army was stationed in cantonments over the Spanish frontier of Portugal…; 'Looking forward to the campaign opening early I made dispositions accordingly for the medical department. [Corps were?] all completed in medicines, bedding and stores of every kind to keep a constant establishment'. Also comments on other preparations.
Page 2: During the month of March [actually February], 7,413 cases of disease were admitted into regimental hospitals and 1,914 into general hospitals, the latter mostly relapses. Notes increase in number of cases admitted to regimental hospitals compared to March 1812, commenting: 'This shows for one thing the great preponderance of the regimental system now'. Also lists different types of cases remaining in both the general and regimental hospitals on 20 March, the most prevalent being cases of continued fever (3,367) and intermittent fever (1,698) and records that 1,229 men died which was 623 less than the preceding month but 643 more than in the same month for the previous year. [McGrigor notes at the bottom of the page that this summary 'belongs to the monthly return for the month of February'.]
Page 3: Comments on sickness and mortality in 3rd Guards and 1st Battalion 1st Guards and records instructions issued to regimental hospitals, noting that copies of the book of instruction were sent to every corps with orders to be enforced.
Page 4: Lists number of cases admitted into regimental hospitals (5,621) and general hospitals (887) for month of March [also see page 2] and makes comparisons with previous years admissions: 'this year and after all our disasters the army had not half the _ of sickness as in the former years'. Lists different types of cases remaining in all the hospitals including: 2,960 cases of continued fever, 1,109 cases of intermittent fever, 453 cases of typhus and 375 cases of dysentery; 577 patients died in total in the general and regimental hospitals including prisoners of war.
Page 15: Lisbon: reports on sickness in 77th regiment; there were 319 admissions including 57 cases of continued fever, 25 cases of intermittent fever, 4 cases of remittent fever, 3 typhus cases, 13 cases of pneumonia, 3 cases of hepatitis, 24 cases of rheumatism and 13 cases of dysentery. Notes that the inflammatory complaints prevailed in the three cavalry regiments just arrived from England and refers to statement by Dr. Morrison.
Page 17: Notes different types of diseases among the 38 admissions from the 15th Hussars also recently arrived from England and admissions from the 18th Hussars. Also comments on case of spasm, dissection carried out on a case of fever and refers to report from Santarem [continues on page 19].
Pages 19, 21 and 23: Dr. Buchan at Santarem reports that intermittent fever was the most prevalent disease with tertian the most frequent form of this disease. The double tertian also sometimes appears, with many of his cases suffering from this for several weeks or sometimes for several years, and it is often complicated with dysentery or affection of the liver, lungs or spleen: 'Dr. Buchan says that many men laboured under this disease before their arrival at Santarem and had taken bark in great quantity, so that he found their constitutions, for some time at least, unsusceptible of its salutary action. In this case he considered the continuance of it not only useless but pernicious and it became necessary to have recourse to other remedies. Among them he found Arsenic to be one of the most successful, but it ought to be employed with caution. In several cases cutaneous eruptions, affections of the eyes, face, bowels and urinary organs have followed its use...He frequently added opium to Arsenic with the view of preventing some of the bad consequences and many complete cures were performed by this preparation without any unpleasant symptoms occurring: but he does not know whether this is to be ascribed to the opium, as the doses were much less than those which produced the unpleasant symptoms above specified. [Note added by McGrigor] I think the opium did produce the favourable change. In India it is treated solely by opium'. Also notes Buchan's use of vitriolated zinc in treatment of intermittent cases and Dr. Irvine's report from the Francisco hospital.
Pages 24-27: Report from Coimbra.
Pages 27, 29, 31 and 33: Report from hospital station at Vizeu. Dr. Forbes states that the prevailing diseases have been typhus, continued fever and intermittent fever. Highlights that relapses from fevers were common and discusses difficulty in ensuring patients are fully recovered from their illness, providing example of seventeen men of the Guards who were dismissed from the convalescent hospital, ten of whom relapsed immediately on joining their regiment although none of them were put on duty. Also refers to statement of Mr. Power who has mainly relapses of typhus and intermittents in his hospital and that of Mr. Baxter, in charge of Divison A of the hospital, fevers of the mixed and typhoid type, chronic dysenteries and intermittents accompanied with visceral obstruction prevailing: 'In Dysentery, he frequently relieved the distressing symptoms by the following mixture: Balsam Copai _ , Mucil G. _ _, Aq. Calid _ , Sacchar _ , Tinct. Opii _ _ of this mixture 3 times a day, with a milk diet and occasionally an injection of starch and opium, the abdomen swathed with a flannel [roller?]...'. Also comments on reports from other Doctor's including Dr. Sugel in charge of the convalescent hospital at Vizeu.
Pages 33, 35 and 37: Reports from Mr. Robb, Dr. Emerson and Mr. Widmar (in charge of surgical hospital) at Celerico and Mr. Woolwich at Castello Branco.
Page 39: Reports from Divisions of the Army.
1st Division: Mr. Nixon notes slow recovery of patients and that relapse occurred frequently, providing example of 17 men discharged from the convalescent hospital at Vizeu, 8 of whom were readmitted to hospital a few days later. Many of the recent cases in the 1st and 3rd Battalions 'are attended with great heat of the skin, strong reaction of the arterial system after the first attack and bear the application of the cold affusions remarkably well…'. [Continues on page 41]
Page 41: Notes further use of this treatment in the 1st Guards. 123 cases were admitted from the 3rd Regiment, 35 being cases of continued fever. 13 patients died, 9 from typhus. 'Rheumatism now shows itself in a number of instances. Taking care to keep the bowels soluble, he succeeded remarkably he says by giving Calomel and Antimony with Camphor. Partial inflammatory complaints gave way to venesection and the pains of extremities to opiates'.
Pages 43 and 45: Reports of 1st Battalion of the Coldstream Guards (65 cases admitted, 21 being cases of remittent fever), the German Legion 1st Battalion (30 cases admitted) and the 1st, 2nd and 5th Line Battalions (8, 26 and 21 cases admitted respectively).
Page 63: 7th Division. Notes that pneumonia was the most frequent disease and it was combined with a 'deranged state of the stomach and intestines…'. The frequent intoxication of the troops are a source of the prevailing diseases in the division: 'whenever money has been issued, the regimental hospitals have had a _ increase of sick'. Report of Light Division where there had been 148 admissions, 96 of which were cases of continued fever.
Page 65: Report of the Cavalry Division. |