Report of the Commitee appointed by the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, to enquire into the causes of the outbreak of scurvy in the recent Arctic Expedition ; the adequacy of the provision made by the Admiralty in the way of food, medicine, and medical comforts ; and the propriety of the orders given by the commander o[f] the Expedition for provisioning the sledge parties.
- Great Britain. Admiralty. Committee on Scurvy.
- Date:
- [1877?]
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Report of the Commitee appointed by the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, to enquire into the causes of the outbreak of scurvy in the recent Arctic Expedition ; the adequacy of the provision made by the Admiralty in the way of food, medicine, and medical comforts ; and the propriety of the orders given by the commander o[f] the Expedition for provisioning the sledge parties. 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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![VENTILATION. 4. Condensation, continued— Alexander Gray, Discovery — Amount there was on hammocks, 7206-8, 7326-32. Mr. Emmerson, Discovery — Carpet on lockers always wet, 8087 ; lower deck very damp in winter, 8165 ; nothing stopped it, 8098; formation of ice in the house over the hatchway, 8099. William Jenkins, Discovery — No possibility of preventing it when in bed, covered his hammock with an oil-skin, 8377, 8431. Admiral Richards— A good deal of drip on Assistance from ice forming overhead, 3109 ; wooden hoods over the hatchways acted as condensers, 3167; the moisture ascended to hatchways, and congealed there, instead of on the beams of sleeping deck, 3203. Dr. Toms- Much in lower part of upper deck of North Star, 3572 ; arrangements for removal, 3554, 3648-9, 3654. Captain Allen Young— Pains taken by Sir L. M'Clintock to clear it away and dampness on the Fox, 3769, 3813. Dr. Scott- He suffered from dripping at night in Intrepid, 3899. Mr. Ede— In Assistance rather troublesome, 4236. Dr. Lyall— Froze on lower part of upper deck of Assistance, 4283 ; the men suffered from it at night, 4285 ; and he had it in his cabin, 4286. Dr. Piers— In Investigator much drip from the beams of the upper deck, constant wiping, 4494 ; condensation froze even in cabins, 4497. Dr. Macdonald— Would be got rid of by more frequent renewal of air, 4838. Mr. Bayley— A little drip on Assistance the first winter, 6460 ; but not distressing, 6466. J. Organ- Deck of Resolute would have been wet if not wiped, 6726-7. Mr. Murray— A tank over main hatchway of Enterprise as condenser, 6854-6 ; frosted moisture cleared out of it, 6856-7 ; not so much drip as in Investigator, owing to good ventila- tion and a fire in the mainhold, 6858-9 ; to what extent it existed on Enterprise, 6929-31. Vice-Admiral Ommanney— In Assistance the moisture on the surface of the bolts coming through on lower deck frozen, 5738 ; no drip on the beds of the officers, 5741. Captain Feilden— In Alert a good deal in remote corners, 5924 ; plenty of drip from the beams at night in his cabin, 5925 ; which he caught in a blanket over his head, 5926 ; it cannot be entirely prevented, 5927. 5. Advantage of Heating Air on admission— Dr. Moss, Dr. Colan, Dr. Toms, Dr. Barnes, Sir A. Armstrong, Admiral Richards, Dr. Dickson, Dr. Macdonald, Dr. Piers, Mr. Leach, and Vice-Admiral Ommanney— Advantage of heating air, 1650-51, 2286, 3208-10, 3656-9, 4666, 4826, 4840, 4876-9, 4883, 5593, 5644-6, 5883, 7084, 9073-5-6. WASHING— Regulations for drying-room of Alert, Appendix No. 5. Evidence. Sir G. Nares— Arrangements for cleaning the lower deck, 118; men to keep it dry, 119 ; regulations for washing (drying- room), 120 ; measures for ensuring washing, 122 ; men supplied with usual tubs, 123. Captain Stephenson— Measures for washing one night a week, 373 ; chill taken off the water for the purpose as far as possible, 373, 378 ;• the special space assigned, 374; arrangements for washing clothes, each of four divisions one day a month, 375 ; personal cleanliness sufficiently ensured, 376; bathing continued through winter, and considered a luxury, 377; arrangements for drying clothes, 379; means of carrying off the vapour of drying-room, 380. Commander Aldrich— Every officer and man had use of drying-room without distinction, 1303. Dr. Colan— The medical examinations were satisfactory as to cleanliness with most men, 2035. WASHING, continued— Vice-Admiral Ommanney— Arrangements in Assistance for washing once a fort- night, 5812-13. Mr. Bayley— Arrangements in Assistance for washing, 6278-80. J. Organ, Resolute — Arrangements for washing and washing clothes, 6753-6; warm water supplied, 6756; petty officer of the mess surpervised it, 6760-62 ; cannot wash sledging, 6759. Mr. Murray, Enterprise, 1850-55— Arrangements for washing, 6867. Sir A. Armstrong— No regular system of washing in Investigator, men got water once a fortnight, officers tepid water once a week, 8947. WATER— Sir G. Nares— Salt water ice covered with minute dust, 105 ; water of Alert very good, that of Discovery perhaps brackish, 94 ; method of obtaining it by cutting ice, 97, 102 ; no fresh water lakes near on shore, 99, 100 ; reason why Discovery's water may not have been as good, 98; no bad effect from its use, 101 ; probably did not use it generally, 101; how snow and ice was melted, 103 j it was at once drinkable, and not flat, 104-5. Captain Markham (Sledging)— Good water obtained by autumn parties, 562; drinking water, how obtained, 637 ; very good (except once or twice), 639 ; only able to procure it for meals, 640 ; had to melt all they drank, 642. Commander Aldrich (Sledging) — In autumn chiefly melted from snow, 1320; also in spring, 1370 ; it was good, 1321. Commander Parr— What they used, 1502. Dr. Colan— Obtained from a floeberg, 1664; no difficulty in obtaining a sufficient quantity, 1665 ; how obtained, was tested for saltness, 1666-7; chemical examination very satisfac- tory, 1668. Dr. Moss- Satisfactory results of examinations of water, 2287-9 ; very pure water, 2289; how obtained, 2288-91 ; pure when taken from old ice, 2294; how when sledging it was obtained, 2293 ; officers in command understood how to take it, 2295 ; it was good ; very little salt in it, 2296. Dr. Coppinger— Examined it, but not quantitatively, 2853 ; had no appa- ratus for estimating its chlorine, 2854. Captain Hobson— Difficulty in obtaining it, in sledging from Fox, 3509; owing to want of fuel, 3512 ; suffered from the want of it, 3510-11 ; drank it only in tea and cocoa, about a quart a day, 3512-13. Dr. Toms- Drinking water obtained from melted snow in North Star and Pioneer, 3715 ; was satisfied with quality, 3716. Captain Feilden— Good drinking water obtained in the recent expedition, 6046-7. Alexander Gray— Got enough water, 7476-7; could not carry any at firBt owing to the cold, 7479. William Jenkins— Sledging, was good, but sometimes a little salt, 8464-5. WEIGHTS. [Of Men, see Health and Medical Examina- tions. Sledging, see Sledging]. WHALEKS. [See Merchant Service]. WHEAT— Dr. Ninnis— Polaris wheat grown, 2738; it was quite sound in spite of prolonged exposure, 2739. WINE. [See Spirits, Scurvy, Diet.'] WINSTONE, GEORGE, A.B., of Alert— Commander Parr. His comparative exemption from scurvy, he smoked and chewed tobacco, 1469-72. WOLLEY, WILLIAM, A.B., of Alert. (Also spelt Woolley). Dr. Colan— Attack of scurvy, a similar case to Lorrimer's, 1900-3 ; his case (Lieutenant Giffard) 1220; lime mice being carried when ill, 1222. WYATT, B., A.B., of Discovery— Dr. Colan— Scurvy on return from his own ship, 1879-84. Sir A. Armstrong— Remarks on his case, 9258-60. YORK FACTORY. [See Hudson's Bay.] 3 S](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b24397945_0565.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
