Catalogue description Folios 11-12: W Neale, aged 29, Marine; disease or hurt, remittent fever. Put on sick...

Folios 11-12: W Neale, aged 29, Marine; disease or hurt, remittent fever. Put on sick list, 9 February 1879, at Fort Ekowe [Fort Eshowe]. Discharged, 16 March 1879.

Folio 12: H Cooper, aged 23, Engine Room Artificer; disease or hurt, sloughing chancre and gonorrhoea epididymitis. Put on sick list, 7 September 1879. Sent to the Royal Naval Hospital Haslar, 6 October 1879, for the gonorrhoea.

Folio 13: Table I, showing the places visited by the ship.

Folio 13: Table II, A list of men who have received wounds or hurts which may disqualify them for the Public Service or interfere with their earning a livelihood. James Porteous, aged 28, Captain of the Fore Top, certificate dated 30 July 1879, amputated middle finger right hand. George Doran, aged 18, Ordinary Seaman, certificate granted 30 July 1879, bullet wound left thigh at the battle of Inyezane. Henry Gosling, aged 22, Able Seaman, certificate granted 30 July 1879, wound of right hand from rifle bullet or musket at the battle of Inyezane. George Bearryman [Berryman], aged 20, Ordinary Seaman, certificate granted 30 July 1879, wound from rifle or musket ball through the right thigh at the battle of Inyezane. Henry Gosling, aged 22, Able Seaman, certificate granted 10 September 1879, oblique inguinal hernia. Mr J Cotter, aged 49, Boatswain, certificate granted 28 March 1878, injury of right knee joint. With a note confirming that J Cotter should have appeared in the previous journal and that the same Henry Gosling does appear twice in the list and was invalided 11 October 1879.

Folio 14: Table III, not completed.

Folio 15: Table IV, all cases between 1 January 1879 and 25 October 1879. Average numerical strength of the Ship's Company 323 [with 325 written alongside more faintly].

Folio 16: Table V, Showing the number of diseases by age group, not completed.

Folio 16: Table VI, Showing the number of cases of disease by age group for 1 January 1879 and 25 October 1879.

Folios 17-30: Surgeon's general remarks. Remarks with reference to the campaign of the Naval Brigade against the Zulus from 19 November 1878 to 21 July 1879.

Folios 17-18, Describes the makeup of the Naval Brigade, totalling 858 men and officers but the 10 officers and 163 men of HMS Active being the only ones who served the entire war. On 11 January 1879, Surgeon Norbury was appointed Principal Medical Officer of the 1st or General Pearson's Column, consisting of the Naval Brigade, Royal Artillery, Royal Engineers, Cavalry, 3rd Regiment or 'the Buffs', 99th Regiment,2nd Regiment Natal Native Contingent, in total 4397 officers and men. Describes the Zulu country, its climate, geology, flora and fauna, including quaggas, and common diseases.

Folios 18-20, describe the attack by between 5000 and 8000 Zulus at the battle of Inyezane, at which losses were 8 killed and 16 wounded; their arrival at the Norwegian Mission at Ekowe, its fortification and the receipt of the news from Isandlwana and an order saying if they could not hold the position they should retreat immediately; the force left to defend Ekowe is enumerated and the dimensions of the mission buildings and facilities for the sick and wounded are described. The scale of rations for the men while they were fortifying the position is described. The full dimensions of the fortified position are given and on folio 20 there is a 'Plan of Fort Ekowe'. The sanitary arrangements introduced by the surgeon are described.

Folios 20-21, discuss the principle diseases at Fort Ekowe; Continued fever, remittent fever, enteric fever, dysentery and diarrhoea. After the first fortnight the hospital was always full, the average number of men applying per day was 87. The soil at Ekowe is described and said to be unhealthy. The sun contributed to fever and also the large fluctuations in temperature.

Folios 21-26, contain remarks on diseases applicable to the campaign in general and refer to Fort Chelmsford and Lower Tugela as well as Fort Ekowe, covering continued fever, remittent fever, enteric and typho-malarial fever, dysentery, taenia mediocanellata, diarrhoea and jaundice. On folio 23 Surgeon Norbury quotes from his own notebook describing a journey into Zulu country where the roadsides were littered with decomposing bullocks, the permanent laagers in which they camped were filled with excrement and decomposing cattle and the water at Fort Chelmsford was drawn from the Inyezane river which originated in a marsh and in which the decomposing bodies of cattle and Zulus had been found. Folio 24 mentions the lack of 'cholera belts' contributing to the number of abdominal disorders.

Folios 26-27, discuss wounds received in action by men of the Naval Brigade. With on folio 26 a 'Table of killed and wounded of Naval Brigade', listing one man, W Aynsley, killed at Isandlwana, and 15 officers and men of HMS Active, Boadicea, Shah or Tenedos, wounded at Ulundi, Inyezane or Mginginlhovo [Gingindlovu]. Folio 27 discusses the fire arms used by the Zulus and the wounds produced.

Folios 27-28, discusses ulcers, also known as 'Natal sore' or 'Veldt sore', ascarides and 'Deaths from disease', of which there were 17 in the Naval Brigade.

Folios 28-30, discuss 'Hospital arrangements of Campaign' and 'Practical remarks as to campaigning in South Africa'. Folio 30 summarises the health of the Naval Brigade and says it contrasts favourably with that of the army, the men of the Naval Brigade being generally older, of superior physique and acclimatized to tropical service.

Folios 31-36: Alphabetical sick list.