| Description | 'Prescription and Case-Book of a Detachment of His Majesty's 88th Regt stationed at Bombay and afterwards at Fort George'. It is also noted on the title page that the detachment was quartered at Fort George until the 25 August 1801 before moving into a 'place' in the Bombay bazaar. There is an index at the end of the volume.
Weekly remarks:
5-11 July (p.9): The sick list is still great, and two cases have died; the hospital augmentation took place on the 8th being the day following the payment of the men's clearance; discusses weather and cases of dysentery.
12-18 July (p.14): The condition of the patients is more favourable this week; although the number amounts to eighteen which is more than one seventh [of the detachment] none are in a dangerous state; the weather has been moderate and the temperature has not risen above 84 degrees; discusses cases.
19-25 July (p.18)
26 July-1 August (p.23): A lot of rain has fallen this week which led to a fall in temperature: 'this great fall of rain must consequently create much dampness in the air and be unfavourable to men exposed to it while on duty and obliged to remain in their clothes. Most of them however are provided with flannel shirts as a preventative of the bad effects so likely to ensue from sudden vicissitudes of the weather'.
[2]-8 August (p.29)
9-15 August (p.34)
16-22 August (p.38)
23-29 August (p.42)
Week ending 5 September (p.46)
6-[12] September (p.50)
Week ending 19 September (p.56): Describes weather conditions. 'There have been few reported sick during the week but the dangerous cases of last weerk still continue in the same hopeless state'. Discusses individual cases including:
Noble: he has very severe marks of an affected liver in addition to his relapse into dysentery: 'The stools are not numerous but the pain in his side was so great as required the application of a blister...'. Notes that the acid treatment was tried 'both ways' with the bath treatment used 3 times a day (also discusses other treatments).
Kelly 'is sensibly better; but little can be depended on the vague, unsatisfactory, description he gives...'.
Hamilton: notes enormous quantity of mercury taken by patient ('at least 20 grains daily') and also notes use of cathartics. Parker and Housden use mercury and astringents respectively.
Morris was discharged 9 days before but has returned suffering from dysentery: 'A carthartic has removed his complaint but he still has an un-natural irritability of pulse never being less than 90'.
Also reports on case making good progress which was either syphilis or rheumatism, noting that 'mercury might have been serviceable in either case' and comments on two other cases, one of which is an ulcer.
20-26 September (p.62)
Week ending 3 October (p.66)
4-10 October (p.69)
11-17 October (p.73)
18-24 October (p.78)
25-31 October (p.83)
1-7 November (p.89)
8-14 November (p.93)
15-21 November (pages 96-97): The weather has been settled, the thermometer ranging between '70 to 84'; Wall: this patient has relapsed; mercury was probably not administered to a sufficient extent to prevent this: 'That remedy has been again had recourse to but the mouth has not been as yet affected sensibly'. Mrs. Robinson rapidly declines; the mercury has been discontinued and the bark given in greater quantity: ' _ tamarind leaves have been applied to the largest ulcer but as yet without any sensible benefit...'.
22-28 November (pages 107-109): A detachment of [90?] recruits joined, most of them boys, many labouring of _ and some with catarrhal symptoms resulting from their long exposure to cold on board ship: Thomas has dysentery and a severe catarrhal affection and Bodman is a case of pneumonia of very long standing. Also mentions two other cases of dysentery and a case of fever. 'Mrs. Robison has been so much reduced in strength that it was judged advisable to leave off the mercury and to give bark _ _ aided by opium and occasional astringents and enemata…Since that period her appetite has got better and she has mended in spirits. A poultice composed of crumbs of bread, bark and vinegar has cleaned the largest ulcer and lessened the _ . The tamarind leaves did not show the smallest effect'. Also discusses other cases including that of Wall whose mouth has been affected by mercury and his condition is improving.
29 November-5 December (pages 115-119): Notes weather conditions; 'A good deal of sickness has been the consequence of change _ in the weather as Rheumatisms which yield to suderifics and a warm dress'. The sick recruits are all on the mend.
Wall: 'I was led to think that the uneasiness in his belly was the effect of obstruction in the bowels from a collection of faeces or a bad proportion of bile determined to the intestines but castor oil nor emetics gave permanent relief: the evacuations are now very much reduced. He complains of a pain at the xiphoid cartilage always constant between that and the [umbilieus?]...'. His appetite is gone and he is very thirsty: he is to commence a trial of the acid. The venereal cases treated with oxymuriate of soda are not doing well 'not as would appear from any fault of the medicine but from its being found necessary to leave it off but to particularize'. Discusses specific cases including that of Smith who after progressing well was seized with violent and sudden dysenteric symptoms and had to be put on the mercury instead of the oxymuriate. Other cases include:
Brown: he has returned with his old pulmonic complaint which has been made worse by the change in the weather: 'the cough and hurried respiration are the principal symptoms'.
Bohanon: 'has returned with his old Rheumatism affecting the arms and elbows as before he takes James's powder'.
Moore: case of dysentery which is not very serious.
'Almost all the dysenteries now prevailing among the recruits in England would be reckoned diarrhoeas occasioned by exposure to cold and other causes. In many the mouth is hardly affected before the stools are reduced considerably and the symptoms rendered much more mild. It is much to be regretted that the whole of them were not provided at Madras before embarkation with flannel or some other substitute to wear on board ship where they were much exposed to cold and moisture. Even now the prevailing sickness amongst them may be in part owing to them not being properly provided with clothing suitable to the season of the year. There can be no doubt that the injudicious nay infamous practice of giving spirits to soldiers of every description particularly to young boys and new-comers is highly pernicious - and the sanction of the company who gave from their own stores spirits for the use of the troops at improper times and in too great quantities is highly pernicious in its effects and tendency and cannot be too much reprehended. It is much to be wished that this practice...should be either entirely discontinued, or placed under the most rigid restrictions should it be found at all of real use'. |