A scientific and popular view of the fever of Walcheren, and its consequences, as they appeared in the British troops returned from the late expedition ; with an account of the morbid anatomy of the body, and the efficacy of drastic purges and mercury in the treatment of this disease / By J.B. Davis, M.D.

  • Davis, J.B. (John Bunnell), 1780-1824.
Date:
1810
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A scientific and popular view of the fever of Walcheren, and its consequences, as they appeared in the British troops returned from the late expedition ; with an account of the morbid anatomy of the body, and the efficacy of drastic purges and mercury in the treatment of this disease / By J.B. Davis, M.D. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service. The original may be consulted at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service.

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    barracks for their reception, the regiments in garrison were marched off to other districts; and the same regula- tions took place immediately on other parts of the coast. On the 1.5th Flushing surrendered, and it is a fact worthy of notice, that with the exception of the killed, the troops had not as yet buried a single man, nor was there any apparent tendency to disease, although the inundations, in consequence of the garrison breaking down the sluices, had spread to a con- siderable extent. At this period the medical de- partment had taken several necessary steps 'on the pre- sumption of the possibility of fever and dysentery, yet so little apprehension was felt on the part of the public at large, that a popular newspaper of the 23d of Au- o-ust laughed at the idea of unhealthiness, observing that the notion of the unhealthiness of Walcheren be- ing 50 great, that it ought not to be garrisoned by British troops, was too absurd to deserve much notice; as it might probably be as unhealthy as Romney marsh, or thehundreds of Essex, &c. A different impression however was fell in Walche- ren, for as early as the 25th, it appears by a letter from the' exped ition, that the interruption to active operations which had then taken place, from the rapidity with which the disease was spreading, had excited much reo-ret. Many of those who were on the spot hoped that if the troops could be transferred to active ser- vice, the additional energy thus given to the mind, might operate happily on the body ; and this they did the more readily from attributing the disorder princi- pally to immediately exciting and local causes, the baneful influence of which might be thus averted, or at least suspended for a time, and in short, so much mo- dified as to produce an infinitely milder disease. These causes were then stated to be, the offensive stench which proceeded from the half smothered flames on entering the town; from the inundation laying half of Walcheren under water, and which were even widely spread through the British line£; and last- ly