Account of an epidemic fever, which occurred at Gibraltar, in the years 1804, 1810, and 1813 : taken from official documents, military and medical, and from the communications of Joseph D.A. Gilpin, M.D., deputy inspector of hospitals.

  • Medical and Chirurgical Society of London.
Date:
1814
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Account of an epidemic fever, which occurred at Gibraltar, in the years 1804, 1810, and 1813 : taken from official documents, military and medical, and from the communications of Joseph D.A. Gilpin, M.D., deputy inspector of hospitals. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by King’s College London. The original may be consulted at King’s College London.

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    served, that these persons held their communica- tion with the garrison through the medium of health-guards from the Pratique-office; and the same precautions were used as are pursued in cases of plague. These facts have been ascertained by the Pratique Master himself, a man of talents and great observation ; and mihtate strongly against the idea that the disease originated in noxious ef- Jlwvia. IX. It has been alleged also, that the cattle for the use of the garrison of Gibraltar, are usually landed on a moist piece of ground, situated be- tween the wall and the water, towards the neutral ground, where the whole are left standing a whole day, depositing their dung in considerable quan- tity, laying the foundation of such a-miasma^ as may be supposed to produce disease. Is this the fact, as thus stated? and if so, how far does it appear likely, either by itself, or in conjunction with other causes, producing hurtful efflima, to )iave contributed to the epidemics in question ? Is the practice alhided to constant ? or is there rea- son to believe that it prevailed in a more extraor- •dinary degree previous to the last and preceding epidemics, so as to have tended to their produc- tion ? Did the disease prevail more in the neigh- bourhood of that place, or where the vapours from it may have been conveyed by the wind, than in others exposed to no such causes ? Answer—Since the Peace with Spain, cattle