DECEMBER.
Early in this month part of the army marched to Alexandria; and, by the end of it, all the army, with the exception of the horse-artillery, 7th Bombay regiment, and the department of the commissary of cattle, was collected there. About the time that the first part of the army marched thither, detachments of the 26th dragoons, and of Hompesch’s mounted riflemen, joined us from the English army, and were quartered in Rosetta. The plague now gained on us.
On the 1st of the month, Corporal Francis, of the 88th regiment, who had been on the pest-house guard the day before, complained of slight febrile symptoms and giddiness. He had a vibex on the seat of the inguinal glands on one side, with some pain, but no swelling there. I shewed him to Mr Price, who was in charge of the pest-house, and he had no doubt of its being a case of the plague. Very soon after his admission into the pest-house, a bubo appeared in his groin, and his fever increased. Mercury was thrown in rapidly, his mouth became affected, and, the bubo suppurating, he recovered.
On the 15th, a private of the 8th light dragoons was shewn to me with a bubo in his groin and giddiness, but without quickness of pulse or any other febrile symptom. On being brought to Mr Price he was admitted into the pest-house, and the treatment and result in him were similar to those of Francis.
On the evening of the 15th, it being reported to me that a Sepoy had suddenly died of fever in the line of the 7th Bombay regiment, I examined the body, and found the inguinal glands swelled on both sides. About an hour after, Mr Grisdale, the surgeon, shewed me a case in the hospital of the same corps, which was evidently the plague, and which I instantly ordered to the pest-house.
In the course of the month 38 more cases of the same disease, most violent and rapid in their progress, appeared in the same regiment. Three died, either in the hospital or on the lines, before they could be conveyed to the pest-house, and one died in his way thither. One man of the 1st Bombay regiment died of the same disease, who had clearly got the contagion from the former corps, near which their hospital was situated.
The weather during the month was changeable; towards the end it was boisterous. The thermometer in tents was sometimes so low as 49°, and rarely rose above 70°. The sky was cloudy, but rain fell only once in eight days. In the beginning of the month there was a considerable number of cases of continued fever. There were fewer intermittents than in the last month. The number of cases of dysentery was decreasing.
Towards the end of the month there were many cases of catarrh, pneumia, and rheumatism. The diseases of the eyes were greatly on the decline. In the weekly return of the 3d are three hundred and twelve cases, whereas in that of the 31st there appear only ninety eight.