Note 46 — Chapter IX · ON POISONS, MIASMS AND CONTAGIONS.
Reading edition
“The town of Port Antonio is situated at the north-eastern extremity of the island, eighty miles from Kingston, and lies in a hollow surrounded by an amphitheatre of thickly-wooded hills. Fort George, in which are the barracks for the troops, is built at the extremity of a peninsula, nearly surrounded by the sea; and though possessing no great elevation, it has, from its position, a tolerably free exposure to the breeze. On each side of the peninsula are two harbours for the shipping; that on the east side enjoys a comparatively healthy locality, but that on the west is sheltered by a thickly-wooded hill, which impedes ventilation; and there is a considerable space of level ground, generally inundated by the tide, which at low water is left in a marshy state, and when acted on by the sun emits exhalations said to be both offensive and unhealthy.
“The barracks stand about twenty yards from the sea, on a piece of ground of coralline formation, and consist of a building of two stories, elevated on brick pillars. The hospital is built on a higher situation, and raised on arches about seven feet. It contains three wards for the patients, and has a shaded walk attached to it for convalescents. Water is supplied to the troops, by contract, from a river a quarter of a mile distant.
“There seems to have been no troops at this station in 1825 and 1826, but the mortality during the other years embraced in the Report has been as under:
Years.Strength.Deaths.Ratio of deaths per 1000 of mean strength.
1817177 34192
1818135 12 89
1819130 45346
1820143 12 84
1821 82 18219
1822194 10 52
1823 79 4 51
1824108 21194
1827 32* 3 94
1828129 19147
1829133 31233
1830155 21135
1831161 20124
1832157 29185
1833164 37226
1834185 32173
1835154 18117
1836160 4 25
Total2478370...
Average137 20 149·3
* 127 men were here for one quarter of a year only, which is equivalent to 32 for a whole year.
“Thus the local circumstances remaining the same, the mortality from fever yet varies exceedingly. It is the same with the typhus of temperate countries, showing that in addition to malaria, presumed to be ever present, a something more is required, that we must look for in the constitution of the atmosphere.”