Report to the Right Hon. Lord Panmure, G.C.B., &c., Minister at War, of the proceedings of the Sanitary Commission dispatched to the seat of war in the East, 1855-56 / presented to both Houses of Parliament, by command of Her Majesty, March 1857.

Date:
1857
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report to the Right Hon. Lord Panmure, G.C.B., &c., Minister at War, of the proceedings of the Sanitary Commission dispatched to the seat of war in the East, 1855-56 / presented to both Houses of Parliament, by command of Her Majesty, March 1857. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

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    Pages Hospitals on the Bosphorus, &c.—continued . . . 7 to 63 improvement in the health of the sick in the hospitals generally; the valuable assistance and co-operation of the authorities acknowledged; testimony borne to the zeal of the medical officers, and of Miss Nightingale and her nurses, p. 62. PART II. Proceedings of the Commissioners in the Crimea . . 64 to 148 1. Topography of the Allied Occupation . . . 64 to 66 Its topographical peculiarities and geological formation and configuration (see Appendix); its soil a light loam or clay; vegetation scanty; natural drainage very de- fective ; position of the town of Balaklava unfavourable to health ; nearly the whole area occupied by the allies con- sists of loam and clay, with a spongy calcareous subsoil, retaining water (p. 65), with impervious beds below. The high average temperature of the climate, with an intensely hot sun, very likely to generate malaria, and to produce slight attacks of periodic fever, not of malignant type. Ophthalmia prevalent in Sebastopol, p. 66. No natural topographical conditions within the occu- pation that could by themselves have occasioned the disease and mortality that prevailed among the troops during the winter 1854-5, p. 60. 2. Climate of the Crimea 66 to 70 Meteorological observations carried on only for a short time; kept by Dr. Jephson and Staff-Surgeon Matthew, at the Castle Hospital; results registered from April 1855 to June 1856, p. G7; comparison with the climate of London. The climate of the Crimea must be considered as one of extremes, and therefore trying to the health of the troops, p. 69. 3. Water Supply within the British Occupation . . 70 to 78 The Commander of the Forces applies for the assistance and advice of the Commissioners on this subject in May 1S55; extent of the water-shed, number of springs, water good and clear, but much deteriorated by mode of collecting, p. 71; native wells, quality of water clear and wholesome and haul, quantity easily capable of large increase by simple engineering appliances, p 72; open tanks employed, and water rendered less wholesome by the mode of supply; best