Facts and documents relating to the establishment of the Ophthalmic Hospital.

Date:
1821
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Facts and documents relating to the establishment of the Ophthalmic Hospital. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    The hostility of the Army Medical Board still continuing una¬ bated, the Commander in Chief, in 1813, gave directions that the inquiry into the success of Sir Wm. Adams’s practice for the cure of the third or granular stage of Ophthalmia, should be taken entirely out of the hands of Army Practitioners (who, at that time, most per¬ tinaciously denied its efficacy), and that it should be placed in those of the following eminent Civil Practitioners : Sir Henry Halford, Bart. Dr. Baillie, Sir Everard Home, Bart. H. Cline, Esq. Astley Cooper, Esq. and J. Abernethy, Esq. The reports of this Committee, which were transmitted to the Commander in Chief, after a trial of Sir Wm. Adams’s practice upon a given number of blind pensioners, being judged satisfactory by the Heads of Departments, to whom they were submitted, it was understood by Sir Wm. Adams, from communi¬ cations which he had the honour subsequently to receive, that it was the intention of his Royal Highness, of the Secretary of State for the H ome Department, and of the Secretary at War, to make a simulta¬ neous effort entirely to eradicate the Egyptian Ophthalmia from the Army, and from the Kingdom, by the adoption of Specific Plans, which Sir Wm. Adams had submitted for their approval; this highly contagious malady having become widely disseminated among all classes of society, through the medium of the dismissed soldiery. These intentions were, however, entirely frustrated by the present D irector General of the Army Medical Board, whose promotion to that office took place in the middle of June 1815; and who, on the 4th of the following month, addressed a letter to the Adjutant Ge¬ neral, of which the following is a copy : Army Medical Board Office, SIR, July 4, 1815. Before reporting to you upon the papers which you did me the honour to put into my hands, I thought it incumbent upon me to inquire into the present state of Ophthalmia, as well as into the prevalence of Diseases of the Eye, in the army at this time. Of the contagious disease, the Egyptian Ophthalmia, there now remain bxit a few cases in the neighbourhood of Plymouth, and I trust that this disorder will soon be eradicated from the army. In the army which lately served in the Peninsula, and which comprised a great portion of the military force of the British empire, though some corps joined it from this country with Ophthalmia, and several from Sicily, yet we completely succeeded in eradicating the disease. On its first appearance, the Egyptian Ophthal¬ mia being a new disease in England, the proper treatment of it was unknown, but the dis¬ coveries of late years relating to it, and other Diseases of the Eye, being now i ery gene¬ rally promulgated, and the attention of some of the Medical Officers of the army being now directed to those diseases, I have no doubt but that from the service I can select offi¬ cers perfectly equal to the cure of those diseases, where a cure can be effected. Under this impression, I am of opinion that the establishment proposed by Sir W. Adams is by no means required, as its objects can be obtained without incurring any further expense. I have the honour, &c. etc. To the Adjutant General, .Vc. S'c. J. MK!RIGOR.