Remarks on the constitution of the medical department of the British Army : with a detail of hospital management, and an appendix, attempting to explain the action of causes in producing fever and the operation of remedies in effecting cure / by Robert Jackson M.D.

  • Jackson, Robert, 1750-1827.
Date:
1803
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Remarks on the constitution of the medical department of the British Army : with a detail of hospital management, and an appendix, attempting to explain the action of causes in producing fever and the operation of remedies in effecting cure / by Robert Jackson M.D. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by King’s College London. The original may be consulted at King’s College London.

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    fuller meafure, than that of a foldrer in hofpital. If the hofpital diet be fuljer than the barrack diet, it may thence be concluded, that the one is too full, or that the other is not fufficient. This is a fair inference. It may be obfcrved fur- ther, that, the fubjedts of an hofpital confifl: of perfons in various ftages of acute difeafe ; of per- fons fuffering organic derangements, which alfect general health; or of perfons affe£ted with maladies, which do not materially impair general health; for inftance, with itch, fore legs, vene- real complaints, and a variety of flighter acci- dents. It is evident, that this latter clafs requires no increafe of diet for the furtherance of cure ; for the health is not impaired by the effeft of difeafe. It is even prefumed, according to a vulgar maxim, that the quantity of diet fliould then be diminiflied, on account of the reft, or confinement of the fubjed ; yet the hofpital full diet (and the perfons under queftion, generally ftand in the column of full diet) is higher, perhaps by one-third, than the regu- lated diet of the barracks. In the other clafTes, viz. acute difeafes, and derangements, conneded with impaired general health, the cafe is different;— It varies, according to circumftances. In the early ftage of acute difeafes, there is rarely any defirefor food, at leaft for folid food: there is, on the con- trary, often a perfeft abhorrence of it. In the vari- ous ftages of recovery, the defire of eating is often keen ; but the indulgence of appetite is known, by experience, to be hurtful. In the various derangements.