cxxiv SURGEON'S REPORT. 



Here again I may note, that those who were slightly affected at the time they left the 

 ship, were so far benefited by the daily exercise of walking from Victoria harbour to 

 Fury beach, a distance of between two and three hundred miles, that on their arrival at 

 the latter place every man had undergone a spontaneous cure. But it was during our 

 stay at the Fury's stores that the worst form of the disease appeared. 



Mr. Chimham Thomas was one of those who had been scorbutic on leaving 

 the ship, and also at various times for two years before. Like several others, 

 he had experienced a spontaneous cure during the journey to the stores, and from 

 July, 1832, to November of the same year, had remained free from the disease; but, 

 under the causes above referred to, his symptoms claimed my notice. On the r2th of 

 November, he was so seriously ill, that with a paucity of all means of controlling 

 the disease, I from the first had apprehensions of the result. There was, indeed, 

 lime-juice found among the Fury's provisions, but seven years had sufficed to render 

 it inert. Neither had I much to expect from exercise; for although it were easy 

 from the commencement to place a sentinel over such a patient on board a man-of-war, 

 admonition was all that in our situation could be had recourse to. We had indeed 

 plenty of good flour, carrots, parsnips, vegetable soup, peas, &c.; but it was impos- 

 sible to get the men to persist in such food, neither, under the complication of such 

 depressing causes, can it be relied on with any certainty as an antidote. After strug- 

 gling with the usual appalling symptoms for three months, debilitated by recurrent 

 haemorrhage from the nose, and his life prolonged by friction, and such excitants as our 

 limited means allowed, a miserable death closed an existence still more miserable. 

 Another case, previously recited (John Wood), promised to be equally severe ; but, as 

 it did not occur until March of 1833, he had all the benefit of the warm season, and 

 of a change of diet, which our shooting parties afforded us in the summer months, so 

 that by July he was out of danger. 



The other fifteen cases were of various extent, and all did well : and I may here 

 notice, that in all, a disposition to constipation rather than to diarrhoea characterized the 

 disease. It might be supposed that, as scurvy is as familiar to the natives as the 

 snow by which they are surrounded, some new remedy, either external or internal, 

 might have been learned from them. With the direct causes of the complaint they 

 were as conversant as the most learned of us : they say it follows a want of provisions. 



