| Administrative History | McGrigor was appointed inspector-general of hospitals in August 1809 and in June 1811 was given the sinecure position of physician to the garrison at Portsmouth. |
| Description | Notes on dissections of fatal cases in the hospitals in the Severn and South-West districts in the autumn of 1811.
The first four pages of the volume contain a copy of a letter written by McGrigor to J. Reed, Secretary to the Army Medical Board, dated Portsmouth, 20 November 1811. He forwards a statement detailing the number and types of cases together with the mortality rate which occurred in each corps in the districts under his superintendence for the previous quarter. On page 1 he provides a general summary of his findings, noting for example the proportion of sick to those fit for duty. Approximately 1 in 6 men at the garrisons in Portsmouth, Bristol and Winchester were sick. He also refers to the cases of fever, stating that there were 261 in total for the period, and discusses prevalence of different types of fever including continued fever, contagious fever and intermittent fever (the number of cases of the latter had doubled compared to the summer of the previous year). He also discusses the results of dissections carried out and makes general observations on cases of dysentery, pneumonia, 'phthisis pulmonalis', hepatitis and rheumatism. He provides a list of the number of cases of each disease admitted to the hospital at Hilsea and notes that the majority of cases sent there were of 'great severity, some of them in the last stage on admission', which accounts for the great number of fatalities (28 out of 328 cases). He also comments that he will inform the medical officers of the results of the dissections carried out on cases of fevers and dysentery: 'On comparing the detail of some cases with the appearances after death, it appears to me that some valuable inferences in practice may be deduced' (p.4).
Table of the admissions and deaths in the troops in the Severn and South-West district from the 29 July-5 November 1811. Lists 35 different diseases, noting how many men suffered from each and if any fatalities occurred. A similar table is also provided for the same period in 1812 but also notes the regiment to which the men belonged and where they were stationed.
'Abstract of the dissection reports for the autumnal quarter 1811 commencing 29th July…'. Each entry notes the name of the patient, the disease from which they died and provides a summary of the postmortem examination. The page reference for the full dissection report provided later in the volume is also provided.
The detailed dissection reports generally list the name and age of the patient, the regiment to which they belonged and their date of admission to the hospital before providing a daily account of the effects of the disease and the progress of the patient, together with the treatment administered. Information relating to the diet of the patients is sometimes recorded. The report also records the appearance of the body following dissection and occasionally if any operations were performed on the body. The reports are signed by different surgeons and were carried out at different hospitals, including Hilsea, Dorchester, Fort Cumberland and Glamorgan.
Towards the end of the volume there is a varied collection of papers, some of which have been inserted into the volume:
Return of the sick admitted into Hilsea Detachment Hospital between 28 July and 4 November 1811 [signed by J. Forbes, Surgeon to the Forces], including a record of those who had died during the autumnal quarter, noting their name and regiment and the disease they were suffering from.
Notes written by McGrigor on the post-mortem results of cases of continuous fever and dysentery.
Letter addressed to McGrigor at Portsmouth from Bristol, dated 23 [November?] 1811 [This has faded and is very difficult to read].
Letter addressed to McGrigor, Inspector of Hospitals, Portsmouth from [G. S.?] Robinson, Surgeon, Oxford Regiment, Bristol, dated 24 October 1811. Reply to inquiry relating to information in returns and in particular case of Thomas Ward, admitted with hydrargyria before re-diagnosed as syphilis, and case of Baylis, admitted suffering from peritonitis later discovered to be acute hepatitis.
Statement of the number of cases of dysentery, diarrhea and cholera admitted to the hospital of the East Essex Regiment of Militia, August-September 1811. Includes summary of treatment administered to patients, signed by assistant surgeon.
Letter addressed to McGrigor from the surgeon at [Haslar?] Barracks, dated 25 [September?] 1811. Informs McGrigor that he admitted 17 children suffering from small pox and describes their condition and progress.
Letter addressed to McGrigor from Surgeon Armstrong at [Fort Winchester?], dated 26 September 1811, reporting on cases of variola [smallpox].
Report, undated, presumed sent to McGrigor, on case first admitted to hospital on the 9 September 1811.
Letter written by George Warde and addressed to McGrigor, 'Deputy Inspector General of the Forces', Portsmouth, dated 26 November [1810]. Thanks McGrigor for allowing him to see the registry and comments on crowded barracks and prisons. On the reverse are figures relating to the number of troops in the Severn district, dated 25 November 1810, noting the number of men in each regiment and where they were stationed.
'An account of the whole number of rations of provisions issued, of the daily average of patients, and the number of deaths' from 1804-1810 at the Royal Hospital at Haslar, 5 November 1811. |