| Description | This journal has many incomplete entries where McGrigor evidently intended to add details of reports relating to particular hospital stations or divisions but has either not received such reports or did not take a note of them at the time. Therefore, where a page is stated as being blank, it may in fact sometimes contain a heading, for example 'Elvas' on p.70, but has been catalogued as being blank due to the fact that no other information has been entered.
May 1812
p.2: notes that at start of month, the army was in cantonments in the north of Portugal…
p.12: 20 May: about this period, two regiments in the 7th Division appeared very unhealthy; the surgeons in the 51st and 68th regiments state the cause as being their time spent serving in Walcheren 'where they suffered extremely'.
p.16: notes great reduction in number of sick men and officers [formerly at this station]…
p.18: Santarem: from Dr. Buchan's report the prevailing diseases at this station were continued fever, and 'intermittents, with some dysentery'.
p.22: report from Abrantes.
p.24: Alto da Chao: Mr. McMullen reports that 16 deaths occurred during the month and that prevailing diseases were continued and intermittent fever, 'a few cases of the former having assumed the typhoid shape'.
p.28: report from Estremoz.
p.32: report from Elvas.
p.34: report from Badajoz.
p.40: Coimbra: notes high mortality rate at this station; 'The mortality had been so prodigious at Coimbra, that I directed Deputy Inspector Bolton to assemble a Board of medical officers to enquire into, and report on the cause of this. The report of this board is now before me. The Board are not very communicative as to the causes of the diseases and excessive mortality. I am however convinced from my own observations at Coimbra, as well as from a great deal of enquiry which I made on the spot, that great mortality was [considerable?] with the cases which they had and which most of them came from Ciudad Rodrigo, Castaniera or Celerico, many in the last stages of fever and dysentery or with a complication of visceral disease'; the Board reported that fever and dysentery were the chief cause of mortality…
June 1812
p.46: notes that army remained in same cantonments as last month and that it was on the whole healthy; the weather for the month was favourable.
p.62: Santarem: Dr. Buchan reports that no epidemic prevailed during the month; more than half the patients were wounded 'many of them amputations'; 'when fever attacked it was of the inflammatory sort'.
p.64: Abrantes: the majority of cases were intermitting and continued fever, 'in general marked with the inflammatory diathesis'; also notes prevalence of dysentery and among the inhabitants smallpox; Dr. [Cabbott] used the lancet in the treatment of fever.
p.68: report from Estremoz; notes large number of ophthalmia cases from 2nd Division.
p.72: report from Badajoz.
p.76: Castello Branco: Mr. Wood reports that continued and intermittent fever were most prevalent; notes number of admissions from previous month; for present month, of 624 admissions, 238 were continued fever and 183 were intermittents; the inhabitants suffered from continued fever.
p.78: Coimbra: Dr. Gray reports prevalence of continued and intermittent fever and dysentery, the fever being mostly of the typhoid form; 'where [purgation or purgatives?] and the cold affusions were found useful'.
p.80: Celerico: Dr. Tice reports that continued fever was the most prevalent disease, caused chiefly by the fatigue of marching and by a hot sun; intermittent fever was also prevalent.
p.84: reports from Cavalry, 1st and 2nd Divisions. |