| Description | Journal containing notes and comments by McGrigor following his arrival in the Peninsula as chief of the medical staff of the army commanded by Wellington. Pasted into the front of the volume is a letter, dated Coimbra, 17 December 1811, from Mr. Gunson, Purveyor to the Forces, to the Deputy Inspector of Hospitals. He is concerned to hear that Mr. Mellon had displeased the Commander of the Forces [Wellington] as a result of the report which he sent to him regarding the state of the hospital at Celerico. He [Gunson] does not think the mortality is a result of the 'badness of wine' or from the situation of the hospital, but is due to the same cause as stated by Deputy Inspector Tegart. He also refers in the letter to supplies drawn from the Commissariat in 'direct opposition to his Excellency's orders', noting he will relay Wellington's orders to his medical officers 'and direct them to make their arrangements for a regular supply being obtained through other channels'. Also refers to 'Papers of Port Wine' to be sent to Celerico and 'Castinhiera' and supply of lime and encloses return of stores at Coimbra, Abrantes and Castello Branco. He also mentions letter from Deputy Purveyor at Abrantes regarding the provision of boards and tressels at this station and expense of this and refers to dispute between two medical officers.
The volume begins with a list of the medical officers at the various hospitals and those attached to the Cavalry Division.
p.1: McGrigor embarks for Lisbon on 26th December 1811 [he states that he arrived there in January 1813 but the date of his arrival was actually January 1812]; 'The army was sickly, and the greatest part of the sick were crowded into General Hospitals, particularly to Lisbon; in most of which, there was a high proportion of mortality particularly at Coimbra, Celerico, Castaniera and Abrantes'; provides list of general hospital stations: Lisbon, Santarem, Abrantes, Castello Branco, Coimbra, Celerico and Castaniera; the field hospitals were at or near Ciudad Rodrigo [currently under siege]; describes condition of wounded and sick and transfer of them from Celerico to Coimbra.
p.3: Coimbra: discusses hardships experienced by sick and wounded, transported mainly by bullock [carts], on route to Coimbra; 'They suffered so much by the transport, the weather and by privations, that many particularly of the wounded and those ill of dysentery arrived in so bad a state, as only to survive a few days or hours after their reception into the hospitals at either Celerico or Coimbra'.
p.5: With Dr. Forbes, Messrs. Croft and Rigs, he leaves Lisbon for Coimbra; 'We traversed a fine country, and with much wood particularly the olive, and having the Tagus on our right. Passing thru [through] the famous lines of Torres Vedras we soon reached Villa Franca our first stage'. After leaving Villa Franca they travelled through a bleak country: 'everywhere bore marks of its having been ravaged by the French'.
p.7: Notes arrival at Coimbra and his inspection of the hospitals; comments on different opinions regarding 'healthiness' of Coimbra but notes that the medical professors of the University all thought the site was healthy; the best buildings were used as hospitals: 'their situation was good and they were large and airy, with lofty roofs and abundantly ventilated'; the buildings used were the College of Arts in the upper part of the town, the Franciscan Convent on the opposite side of the town and the St. Jose Convent, which was turned into a surgical hospital.
p.8: 'A principal, if not the greatest means of preserving health in an army, is the treating every case, when it can be done in _ the corps at first, and as long as it can be done. [In acute?] disease everything depends on active treatment being pursued at the very commencement. With this view every corps was _ provided not only with every means of having an hospital of its own at all times; but with [word 'additional' crossed out] medical officers available to the _ frequently. In this manner a very great number of diseases were cut short'; discusses advantage that men were treated by officers who knew them and their case history.
p.9: Comments again on excellent public buildings appropriated at Coimbra for the sick, in particular that of the College of Arts [overseen by Dr. Tice]: 'No hospital civil or military in the Kingdom could be _ cleaner, sweeter or in higher order'; lists however some areas that could be improved: the floors were of brick and the patients had to lie on this with only some straw and their bedding in between; there were no fire places and the wards were cold in the morning and evening; there was disease of every kind and he suspected that some were contagious mixed fevers, wounds, dysenteries and pulmonary diseases and there was also no convalescent hospital.
p.11: 'I established at Coimbra a regulation, which I subsequently found of the greatest service in all our hospital stations: separate hospitals for care of continued fever, for dysentery, for wounds and ulcers _ _, and for convalescents'; notes that relapse from disease occurred frequently at Coimbra, and highlights cold conditions at this depot compared to the warmer, more comfortable hospitals; discusses establishment of convalescent hospital and procedures put in place by Mr. Inglis regarding the gradual return of the convalescent patients to active duty.
p.13: [continues from p.11]: 'It was decided that no man should be sent to the depot, who was not fit for all the duties of a soldier'; medical officers were ordered to examine every man in the depot twice a day and to send any with symptoms of disease to the proper hospital and 'weakly' men to the convalescent hospital; a code of regulations was recommended for adoption in the depot; it was requested that special attention was paid to the diet and temperance of these men and that they should be provided with warm clothing before returning to duty.
p.15: Notes that he established two intermediate or relay stations between Celerico and Coimbra to combat problem of cases arriving in final stages of fever or dysentery with many of the wounds in a gangrenous state; [the following was added at a later date] in letter to [medical] board on 11 February notes that the mortality from disease exceeded 500 during the previous three months and that 16 medical officers were attacked with low fever at Coimbra during this period.
February 1812
p.21: Notes departure from Coimbra on the 12 February and scene of battle [at top of the mountain of Bussacio] where Portuguese troops first fought with the British against the French.
p.22: List of medical officers at general hospitals and attached to cavalry divisions.
p.25: Notes arrival at Vizeu and sickness prevailing in the 26th regiment, principally fever, and to a lesser extent in the 75th or Cameron Highlanders [notes that both had been in Walcheren]; also refers to the 4th Division [Guards]; in letter to Board reported sickly state of this regiment and that of the 26th and 75th at Vizeu and that prevailing diseases were remittent or simple continued fever.
p.26: Notes difficult journey experienced by sick transported from Ciudad Rodrigo to Celerico.
p.27: Celerico: comments on poor location for a hospital station: 'a village in a rugged mountain and bare country, the dilapidated [houses were] our only hospitals'; [the following added at later date] in letter to Board from Celerico dated 16th [February] informs them that the prevailing fever, which was contagious, had attacked the P.M.O Dr. [McAffan]; the mortality rate was greater at Celerico than at Coimbra: from the 25 October to the 24 January there had been 618 deaths and 15 medical officers and a great many hospital servants were attacked with fever; notes the patients who died were suffering from fever and intermittents initially but this turned into dropsy or dysentery.
p.29: All the villages near Celerico were used to accommodate the sick; the prevailing disease at Celerico was low fever and 'wounds in a very bad state, recently [received] from the Cuidad [Ciudad] Rodrigo, which the army was then besieging'; notes information relating to number of sick provided by Saunders of Celerico in report and comments that Wellington himself visited Celerico in December 1811 due to the unfavourable reports about this place and sent 380 men from it to Coimbra.
p.31: Castaniera: McGrigor notes that he arrived here on the 19th [February]; comments on terrible condition of hospital accommodation remarking that it was 'the most wretched, dilapidated village I have seen in Portugal'; discusses medical situation at Castaniera noting that several officers of the hospital department had succumbed to the fever which prevailed there; also lists figures provided by Dr. [Sergell?], the P.M.O., for the period 20 October to the 24 December: there were 87 deaths in total, the majority from fever or dysentery, and 1,850 men were treated in hospital.
p.33: Notes arrival at Castello Bom on the 19th February where he subsequently proceeded to headquarters at Freynada [Freineda] to meet with Wellington; 'Immediately on my joining head quarters a number of things pressed upon my mind, which I thought would be improvements in the medical department of the Army: several of these were suggestions from my inspections at Lisbon, Coimbra, Celerico, Vizeu, and Castaniera. In fact, I had visited most of the hospitals before I had seen Lord Wellington. I had examined the depots, some regimental hospitals, and I had _ witnessed the mode of sending sick and wounded to the rear, with that of sending the [recovered] from the hospitals to the army: and saw much of what appeared exceptionable to me. Nothing seemed worse than the mode of transporting the sick - this was oftenest done on the backs of mules, or in the carts of the country. There was besides a better provision to a certain extent, viz. by spring waggons.' McGrigor notes that these wagons were under the charge of the Commissariat and [on page 35] he lists the number of wagons (88 in total) in use at various places.
p.39: Notes that none of the hospital stations, apart from Lisbon, was supplied with boards and [trestles] or bedsteads; also comments on lack of medical officers and lists number of deputy inspectors, physicians and other medical staff present upon his arrival.
p.41: Highlights problem of transporting stores to the hospital stations and the army: 'For transport of any kind we are at all times dependent on the Commissariat'.
p.43: Notes earlier recommendations (sent from Lisbon and Coimbra by letter to the Adjutant General for the attention of Wellington) that as few hospitals as possible 'far in the rear should be kept up and that those at Lisbon should be immediately reduced to the lowest degree'; he did not think there should be a depot at Lisbon for sick and wounded officers but rather all cases should continue to be treated 'either with the divisions of the Army and by their own Surgeons, or be sent only to the nearest hospital stations'; notes that on joining the army there were 18,000 men on the sick list and 111 effective medical officers of the general staff…'The effective medical staff was surely too [weak?] for the number of sick, particularly dispersed as they [were in a] great part of Portugal, and part of Spain'.
p.45: Notes that after inspecting each hospital station on route to join the army, he recorded any remarks and left orders for the station; highlights his belief that a medical officer of any rank should be 'moveable and hold himself in readiness to take all duties'.
p.49: 'On my first interview with Lord Wellington, I explained fully my view to his Lordship of the medical department, and had the satisfaction to find a coincidence. As the basis of all I did not fail to recommend the system of regimental hospitals whenever it could be pursued'.
p.51: McGrigor states that he assumed direction of the medical department of the army on the 21st and issued orders for the campaign in the Alentejo to the medical and purveying officers; also refers to new hospital stations at Alta da Chao, Estremoz and Elvas.
March 1812 [also see journal no.2]
p.55: [crossed out] includes note of removal of headquarters to Elvas and McGrigor's departure from Castello Bom for Castello Branco.
p.57: [crossed out] refers to his impressions of hospital station at Castello Branco, arrival at [Portalegre], where the 88th regiment was also stationed, and arrival at Elvas on 14th [March].
p.59 [crossed out] notes lack of wagons provided by Commissariat at Elvas and four new stations in Alentejo; there was only one spring wagon for casualties of the siege; [this section not crossed out] notes increase of casualties as a result of siege and appointment of Staff Surgeon Robb to oversee medical care of the 3rd and 4th Light Divisions and superintendence of 5th Division by Dr. Emery; [crossed out] comments on Elvas and its use as passing station and medical assistance in place at 'flying bridge'.
p.62: [crossed out] refers to passing station established between Elvas and Estremoz; describes situation at latter; provides list of figures relating to number and type of admissions in the regimental hospitals and number and causes of fatalities in the regimental and general hospitals.
April 1812
p.64: on the 1st notes that the army was engaged in siege of Badejoz; provides figures from returns for 21 March-20 April: 8,925 men were in general hospitals, 750 men were in regimental hospitals, 427 men had died, the majority from dysentery, continued fever and wounds; also notes number and type of admissions into general hospitals, the most common resulting from wounds and continued and intermittent fever.
February 1812
p.82: refers to communication from Sir James Fellows of the 28th regarding general hospital at Cadiz which had been broken up due to the healthy state of affairs there; also refers to expedition to Carthagena.
pp.83-85: dated February 1812, these pages contain information relating to certain divisions and list the number of men in each, how many remained in hospital and how many were admitted from each division, the number of men who were discharged or died, and how many were transferred or sent to the general hospitals. The divisions listed are the Cavalry Division, the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th and 7th Divisions and the Light Division. There are also figures provided for Abrantes and Castello Branco with a note of the prevalence of certain types of disease in these stations. |