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First and only edition of this uncommon eyewitness account of the disastrous British expedition to the Scheldt in 1809. Hargrove was assistant surgeon to the Royal Artillery and here appends "a few remarks" on the nature and causes of the disease that struck down over half of the invading force. In his introduction Hargrove explains that his account was written "purely for the purpose of filling up a leisure moment with a useful pursuit", but that his friends urged him to publish, many of whom are no doubt included in the impressive 18-page list of subscribers. Hargrove suspended publication awaiting the outcome of the parliamentary enquiry into the conduct of the campaign so that there could be no supposition that his "narrative might have been thought to interfere with the political view of the subject". As he concludes with the hope that "this humane and generous nation will do justice to Lord Chatham, who, instead of decking his brow with blood-stained laurels, yielded to the suggestions of mercy" in coming to terms with his French opponent and withdrawing, he will have been disappointed with the outcome. Chatham had been recalled in disgrace, and perhaps unfairly was made to carry responsibility for the dismal failure, he was "set an impossible task, for the medical establishment and resources were totally inadequate. Nevertheless, Chatham's natural laziness and mediocre military talents did not help" ODNB). Fortescue wrote of the expedition, "It was dogged not merely by misfortune, but by cruel, and it may be said undeserved, adversity" (p. 96). Chatham's political and military careers were effectively ended. "Walcheren Fever" the most dangerous enemy faced by both armies, was blamed by Hargrove and most medical authorities of the time on the "putrid effluvium", the miasmata or or mal'aria generated by the stagnant waters of the island. However, "Taken as a whole, the available sources suggest that Walcheren fever was not a newly discovered killer disease but a lethal combination of old diseases - malaria, typhus, typhoid, and dysentery - acting together in a group of men already debilitated by previous campaigning and a life of poverty and drunkenness in the lower reaches of society. The reduced mortality in officers compared with the troops (only 3% compared with over 10%) was probably as much due to their better general health as to the more attentive care they undoubtedly received" (Howard). As it was, the events in the Scheldt confirmed the need for, and hastened implementation of the radical reorganization of army medical services promoted by Commissioners of Military Enquiry in 1808, "Their epoch-making Report resulted in the first steps being taken to place the service on a sound basis, and was the beginning of better days for the Army doctor and the soldier under his care" (Chaplin, p. 90). Provenance: elaborate engraved armorial book plate of Lucius O'Brien to the front pastedown, but unfortunately due to the prevalence of that combination of names it is difficult to attribute with certainty. Perhaps the owner was Sir Lucius O'Brien (1800-1872), 5th baronet and later 13th baron Inchiquin, lord lieutenant of Clare, remembered for his relief work during the famine. His father Sir Edward O'Brien M. P. is certainly among the numerous O'Briens on the list of subscribers. The, almost certainly Irish, binding is attractive, if a little quirky; the title in the second compartment and author's name at the tail of the spine are both rendered in an extremely small font, and entirely in lower case characters. Whether this was from miscommunication or an unusual aesthetic choice, the effect, if a little odd, is curiously pleasing. Not in Sandler. Arnold Chaplin, Medicine in England during the Reign of George III, 1919, pp. 90-99; Sir John Fortescue, History of the British Army, 7, 1912; Martin R. Howard, "Walcheren 1809: a medical catastrophe", British Medical Journal, December 1999; Folio (266 x 210 mm). Later 19th century. Seller Inventory # 166603
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