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?]
Catalogue details

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.

    517/570 (page 457)
    GENERAL INDEX. The remarks (not of a general nature) of officers who served in former expeditions refer in most instances, or unless otherwise specified, to their own expeditions. The expeditions served in are shown in the Analysis of Evidence, marks in the Alphabetical List of witnesses denote those who served in former and the recent expedition, and a List of the Ships served in by such Witnesses is given at page, 413. The remarks, not general, of other witnesses, in almost all instances, refer to the recent expedition. The Assistance, '-Resolute, Enterprise, Investigator, Pioneer, Intrepid, and North Star, served in two expeditions. ABSTAINERS. [See also Spirits.]— Sir G. Wares— What mimber of abstainers there were in recent expedition, 114; not worse or better than others as regards scurvy, 115. Captain Markham— Would as soon take a man of temperate habits as an ab- stainer, 665 ; the two'total abstainers of his sledge suffered severely, 665. Commander Aldrich— Immunity of Ayles from illness, cannot say whether due to abstinence, 1402. Dr. Colan— Abstinence from spirituous liquor beneficial, abstained per- sonally, 2087 ; felt no ill effects, 2088 ; a total abstainer severely frost-bitten, 2090 ; owing to cold and wet, 2091 ; comparative immunity of Ayles from scurvy owing to temperate habits and vigorous frame, 2122. ' Sir L. M'Clintock— All arctic travellers temperate, 3318 ; no advantage in tee- totalers, 3319 ; dangerous effects of intemperance on the constitution, 3320. Dr. Toms- Advantage of temperance in moderation in the arctics, 3625. Dr. Piers— The teetotalers in the Investigator had rather the advantage, 4543 ; Mr. Court, the master, had great power of enduring cold, 4543 ; his activity in body and mind, 4543-7 ; now dead, 4548 ; what number they had, 4684. Vice-Admiral Ommanney— None in Assistance, 5778. Alexander Gray— No advantage in health in abstainers on board whalers, 7551. Col our-Sergeant Wood— What kind of man Ayles was, 8072 ; a very good man, 8073 ; had been an abstainer all his life, 8074; doubts his exemption being due to that, 8075. ACCLIMATISATION— Sir Gh Nares— No such thing as acclimatisation in arctic regions, 139 ; men became weaker each winter, 139 ; crew of Reso- lute compared favourably with Investigator, though fresh meat was kept for latter, 139. Captain Markham—■ Men acclimatised not exempt from scurvy, 780 ; suscep- tibility of ice-quartermasters to it, 780. Commander Aldrich— The Esquimaux and G-reenlander felt cold more than others in autumn, 1322 ; their clothing had to be supplemented, 1324,1387 ; the Esquimaux most, 1387 ; the Esquimaux sealskin dress never thoroughly dry, 1324. Dr. Colan— White people deteriorate in extremely high, latitudes, 2106. Dr. Moss- It would not render men more healthy, 2463. Dr. Ninnis— To what extent it is possible, 2728. Dr. Coppinger— Does not believe in it, 2971. Captain Hamilton— Three deaths in Resolute amongst men of previous arctic service, 3021; some of the men who stood the cold best had just returned from the coast of Africa, 3016. Admiral Richards— No advantage in it, 3143; men lose strength after every winter, 3144. Sir L. M'Clintock— It does not promote immunity from scurvy, 3316-17. Captain Hobson— Men less fit for arctic after a winter there, 3437. Dr. Toms- No advantage in men having taken summer cruises, 3611 ; if in perfect health, men would stand the climate better after several winters, 3612. Dr. Scott— Health would deteriorate by staying some years, 3937. Dr. Lyall— The longer men remain in the arctic regions the weaker they get, 4315. ACCLIMATISATION, continued— Dr. Piers— Health might be maintained for some time in arctic regions with a sufficient supply of food and vegetables, 4529-30. J. Organ— Advantage of experience, 6575 ; was better on last voyage than first, 6574-6; and willing to remain another winter, 6581. Dr. Bames— Disbelief in it, 7068-9. ACIDS. [For Carbonic Acid, see Air.]— Dr. Colan— To what extent citric, malic and tartaric acids contain the antiscorbutic principles of lime juice, 1768, 2072 ; crys- tallized citric acid would not possess its properties, 2073 ; possibility of carrying these acids, instead of lime juice, when sledging, 1772-3. Dr. Moss— Citric acid alone not a substitute for lime juice, 2429-30. Dr. Piers— Citric acid in crystals supplied when sledging, 4513-14, 4517, 4580, 4582-3 ; was a medical article, not a ship's store, 4516 ; sent as an antiscorbutic, 4681 ; very inferior to lime juice, 4515 ; but has some prophylactic property, 4590 ; required mixing with water, 4518 ; had a very small proportion of it compared to lime juice, 4519 ; sent for use of the men as a drink, no dose prescribed, 4581 ; does not attribute health of sledge parties to it so much as to the condition of men in starting, 4588-90 ; it was not used as a curative of scurvy on board, 4682. Dr. Macdonald— Citric acid the best substitute for lime juice, and said to have satisfactory results, 4857 ; use by Dr. Trotter, Sir W. Burnett and Sir A. Armstrong, 4857-8 ; difficulty of trying experiments, 4888; owing to responsibility involved if failure occurred, 4888 ; its use before a proper plan of preserving lime juice was adopted, 4899. Dr. De Chaumont— Citric acid the only substitute for lime juice, 5057 ; would ward off scurvy, 5058 ; being the largest constituent of lime juice, 5059 ; its active part, 5115. Dr. Pavy— Citric acid proved by experiment to possess antiscorbutic properties, 5243-5. Dr. Buzzard— Citric acid inferior to lime juice as antiscorbutic, 5506. Dr. Dickson— Citric acid alone is not antiscorbutic, instances of scurvy where it has been given, 5634; used to be sent as saving bulk and not spoiling, but the results were disastrous, 5687 ; though the acid was citric, 5688 ; no trace of it found in some bad lime juice, 5688. Dr. Barnes— Citric acid has not the virtue of lime juice, 7154-7; experi- ments with it on board Dreadnought not satisfactory, 7158 ; but had reference only to the preventive power, 7159 ; it may be as valuable as vinegar is, but is not a substitute for lime juice, 7162. Sir A. Armstrong— Citric acid the next best antiscorbutic to lime juice, 8999 ; but is not reliable, its properties being feeble, 8999-9001, 9007 ; crystallised citric acid sent on sledging from the Investigator, 9005, 9006, 9203 ; is unaware if it was taken, 9007. ACCOMMODATION ON BOARD SHIP. [See Ventilation, Air]. AGES OF MEN. [See Men, selection of.] AIR. [See also Ventilation.'] Papers in Appendix. Chemical Analysis of inside and outside the Alert when in winter quarters.. .. .. .. 20 Also of Discovery .. .. .. .. ..21 Sections and plans of Alert, Discovery, and Reso- lute, with cubical contents of decks .. .. 22 Evidence. Sir G. Nares— State of air in ships reported satisfactory, 227 ; Alert's living deck less damp than Resolute's, 216, 225; 3 M