It was in the 61st regiment that cases of the dysentery of Europe were first observed. Perhaps it more readily appeared in this corps, because the greatest part of the men had not yet got rid of the European habit, and were as yet unassimilated to a warm climate. After repeated failures, and losing some men, Mr Ruxton saw the necessity of giving trial to other remedies than mercury.
The disease generally set in with a smart fever, and, unless the calomel exhibited went through the bowels, the patient felt no relief: and Mr Ruxton remarked, that the neutral salts gave this relief much more perfectly than calomel. The treatment which Mr Ruxton rested on, and with which he was at length successful, was, in most cases, putting the patient on the anti-phlogistic regimen; frequently giving laxatives; and keeping up a determination to the skin. The same practice was followed in the few fresh cases which occurred in the 88th regiment at Alexandria, and in a considerable number of cases in the hospital of the 10th regiment, and some other corps. However, it must be mentioned, that to the last period some cases did occur, in all these corps, where calomel was found necessary. When the disease was of some weeks standing, and where a chronic disease occurred, calomel given in small doses proved the best and indeed only useful remedy.
For a long time, we saw but little dysentery in the army. The number of cases which occurred, before we arrived in Lower Egypt, was inconsiderable.
In September, a great many cases occurred in the neighbourhood of Rosetta, and in the camp at El Hammed; but many of these were the sequelæ of the fever contracted at Rhoda. In October, the number of cases was greatly on the increase. The rainy weather with which the month of November began, and which continued during the following months, brought a prodigious increase of dysenteric cases. In the general return of the first week in November, there appear one hundred and sixty cases, and one hundred and twenty-three of these are Europeans. Most of the natives were from the Bengal volunteer battalion.
In the first general return in December appear two hundred and nineteen; of which one hundred and forty are Europeans.
After leaving the encampment at El Hammed, and getting into dry, comfortable barracks, at Alexandria, the disease occurred more rarely in the army.
In the last return of January, only one hundred and sixty cases are seen.
In the last return of February, the total number of dysenteric cases in the army was fifty-four, and only twenty-two of these were natives of India.
In the last return of March, there appear nineteen cases, fifteen of which were Europeans.