Economical observations on military hospitals : and the prevention and cure of diseases incident to an army : in three parts : addressed I. to ministers of state and legislatures, II. to commanding officers, III. to the medical staff / by James Tilton.

  • James Tilton
Date:
1813
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Economical observations on military hospitals : and the prevention and cure of diseases incident to an army : in three parts : addressed I. to ministers of state and legislatures, II. to commanding officers, III. to the medical staff / by James Tilton. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

    35/74
    sides the wounded, about 1500 sick were sent from the line ; and of that number the greatest part was ill of the dysentary. By these men the air became so much vitiated, that not only the rest of the patients, but the apothecaries, Burses and others employed in the hospital with most of the inhabitants of the place were infect- ed To this was added a still more alarming distemper, namily the Jail or Hospital fever, the common effects of foul air from crowds and animal corruption. These two combined oc- casioned a great mortality in the village ; white such of the men as were seized with the dysen- tary and not removed from the camp, though wanting many conveniencies t^at others had m the hospitals, kept free from the fever and com- monly recovered.*'* The Doctor proceeds to add, that the camp breaking up, on moving, : 3000 sick were left in Germany, there the hospital fever and dysentery grew daily worse, Few escaped ; for however mild or bad the flux was, for which the person was sent to the hos- pital, this fever almost surely supervened. The petechial spots, blotches, parotids, frequent mortifications, contagion and the great mortal]- ty sufficiently shewed its pestilential nature. Of fourteen males employed about the sick, five died, and excepting one or two, all the rest had been ill and in danger. The hospital lost near half of the patients, But the inhabitants of the village having first received the fiux and afterwards this fever by contagion, by the two were almost entirely destroyed,! And in sue- • Diseasrs of the Arm?, p. 22. t Diseases of ihe Arn.y, p. 95.-