'A voyage from England to India, in the year 1754, and an historical narrative of the operations of the squadron and army in India, under the command of Vice-Admiral Watson and Colonel Clive, in the years 1755, 1756, 1757 ... Also a journey from Persia to England by an unusual route. With an appendix, containing an account of the diseases prevalent in Admiral Watson's squadron, etc.' [‎448] (501/562)

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" During the rains, this rich and fertile country is quite covered bf the
Ganges, and & converted as it were into a large pool of water. In the month of
Oftoher, when the ftagnated water begins to be exhaled by the heat of the fun,
the air is then greatly polluted by the vapours'from the flime and mud left by
the Ganges, and by the corruption of dead fifh and other animals. Difeafes
then rage, attacking chiefly fuch as are lately arrived. Here, as in all other
places, ficknefs is more frequent and fatal in fome years than others. The
diftempers are fevers, of the remitting or intermitting kind: for though
fometimes they may continue feveral days, without any perceptible remiflion,
yet they have in general a great tendency to it, and are commonly accom
panied with violent fits of rigors and fhiverings, and with difcharges of bile
upwards and downwards. If the feafon be very fickly, fome are feized with
a malignant fever, of which they foon die. The body is covered with
blotches of a livid colour, and the corpfe in a few hours turns quite black
and corrupted. At this time fluxes prevail, which may be called bilious *
or putrid, the better to diftinguifli them from others which are accom
panied with an inflammation of the bowels. In all difeafes at Bengal, the
lancet is cautioufly to be ufed.
" But to quit Bengal, let us proceed to obferve—That though the air in
the Englijh prefidentfliip of Bombay is not fo pure as at Madrajs, yet it is
much more wholefome than at Bengal the coaft of Malabar being pretty
healthy, though inferior in this refpedl to the coaft of Coromandel.
" The ifland of Bombay has of late been rendered much more healthy
than it was formerly, by a wall which is now built to prevent the incroach-
ment of the fea, where is formed a fait marfli, and by an order that none
of the natives fhould manure their cocoa-nut trees with putrid filh.
" At Surat and ¥dlicherry^ on the fame coaft, Eurepeans generally enjoy a
,good ftate of health.
" Madrafs is efteemed the moft healthy government belonging to the
Englijh: and indeed the air of the whole coalt of Coromandel is in general
pure and temperate, in refpeft of many other parts of India, not only
Madrafs, but St. David's, Cuddalore, and Negapatnam the Dutch prefident-
fhip on this coaft.
" Befides thefe malignant and remitting fevers, which rage during the
wet feafon, and fome time after it, in the unhealthy parts of the Eaft Indies,
* In my hofpital accounts there is a diftinftion made between the bilious and putrid flux.
In the firlt fort there was always heat and fome degree of inflammation in the conjlitution an
bowels, accompanied with a full pulfe. In the latter the patients had chills, their fkms were
clammy, and pulfe feeble. And what was commonly underftood to make the dillinftion, was,
that in the bilious fort, the bile was not in a corrupted or putrid ftate, in the other it was.
r Europeans,