An Account of the Diseases which were most frequent in the British military hospitals in Germany

by Donald Monro

6. They are not, upon any Pretence whatever, to alter the Diet ordered by the Physicians or Surgeons to the Patients on the Diet Boards; nor to suffer their Patients to use any other Diet than what is allowed by the Hospital; nor are they to bring, or allow others to bring, Meat, spirituous Liquors, or other Things of that Kind, into their Wards, except what is allowed by the Physicians or Surgeons. Whenever any Thing of this Kind is found in any of the Wards, it ought immediately to be thrown into the common Necessary; and if it be found in the Custody of a Nurse, she ought to be confined in the Guard, or discharged.

7. Nurses guilty of great Neglect of Duty, or of getting drunk and using their Patients ill, or of stealing, or concealing or taking away the Effects of Men who die in the Hospital, are to be immediately sent to the Guard, and reported to the Commanding Officer of the Place, that they may be tried by a Court-Martial, and be confined, whipped, or otherwise punished, as the military Law directs; all Followers of Armies on foreign Service being equally subject to the military Law as the Soldiers themselves.

Patients.

1. All sick Soldiers, on their Arrival at a Military Hospital, are to be washed all over with warm Water, or to go into a warm Bath; and afterwards to wash their Face and Hands every Morning, and their Feet occasionally, with warm Water and Soap, brought round every Morning by the Nurses for that Purpose; and they ought to comb their Head every Day. If they be too weak to wash and comb themselves, it is to be done by their Nurses.

2. Every Patient is to be shaved and have clean Linen twice a Week, or oftener if requisite.

3. They are punctually to obey the Directions given them, and to take the Medicines ordered by the Physician; and none to be allowed to go out of the Hospital without a Ticket of Leave signed by the Physician, Surgeon, or Apothecary, of the Hospital.

4. They must commit no Disorder or Riot, but in all Respects behave themselves well.

5. If any Man disobeys the Orders he receives from the Physicians or Surgeons, or is irregular in Conduct, gets drunk, and commits Riots in the Hospital, or is found guilty of Theft or other Crimes, the same is to be reported to the Commanding Officer of the Place, and he to be tried by a Court-Martial, and punished as soon as his Strength will permit.

In conducting the Military Hospitals, we found that it was always right to discharge the Patients from the sick Hospitals as soon as they were recovered, and to send them either to Billet, or to a convalescent Hospital; because recovered Men are always the most riotous; besides they crowded the Hospitals, and were in Danger of catching fresh Disorders from those who were sick; and therefore the recovering Men in every Hospital ought to be reviewed once or twice a Week by the Physician or Surgeon, and the Names of such Men as are well enough, to be marked; in order that they may be sent the next Day to the convalescent Hospital, or to Billet. A Return of those marked for Billet ought immediately to be sent to the Officers on convalescent Duty.

When a convalescent Hospital is established, it ought to be put under proper Regulations; the following are those which I drew up for that established at Osnabruck in April 1761, and which were found to answer the Purpose intended.