Copy of a letter from Mr. David Paterson, (1st), a surgeon in His Majesty's Navy, and late Surgeon to Prisoners of War at Forton, to the Commissioners for taking care of sick and wounded seamen, &c.

  • Paterson, David.
Date:
[1797?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Copy of a letter from Mr. David Paterson, (1st), a surgeon in His Majesty's Navy, and late Surgeon to Prisoners of War at Forton, to the Commissioners for taking care of sick and wounded seamen, &c. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

    19/32 (page 19)
    as dther difcafcs, though perhaps not fo immediate!7, yet ultimately as fatal. I am here under the neceflTity of obferving, having forgot to do it in the proper place, that the folitary cafe of Typhus, which, as be- fore mentioned, was in ward 18, did not originate in the hofpital, but in the Captivity prifon fliip. What the nature of the difotder had been primarily, I am at a lofs to fay. The patienfr died, and, fortunately, fo did the difcafe j for I faw not ano'ther fever of ^ fimilar nature in the hofpital. As no contagious fever (I m'ean Typhus, or what fomc authors have called Jail fever, others Hofpital fever, &c.) prevailed, during my time, in P'orton hofpital, I cannot fay pofitively that the Nitrous Vapor folcly prevented fuch a fdver frorh pretailing. All that I can fay is only, that the circtimftance of no contagious fever having prevailed in Forton hofpital, during my time, may be confidcrcd as being of a very fingular nature j more efpecialty w'hert -we take i^to our view the vaft number of patients, ini the moft filthy ftate, from the Weft Indies, &c. that were re- ceived. The very particular attention that was paid to the patients, on their being received, in ftripping them of all their deaths, in bathing them, in fliaving their heads> in burning all their deaths, and alfo in keeping