"Many thousands were rapidly carried off by malaria and yellow fever, particularly those already weakened by the long debilitating voyage from Britain. ...in 1796 troops under Abercromby’s command were in poor health before they let Portsmouth. This combined with poor diet and long confinement on crowded and unsanitary troop transports resulted in more than 1000 arriving sick at Barbados. Their illness had no relation ship to the climate or yellow fever. Rather [it was diagnosed as’] ‘common... ship fever’ or typhoid..

In addition to casualties resulting from yellow fever, malaria and contaminated rum... Dysentery, enteritis, leg ulcers, venereal diseases, smallpox, pulmonary ailments, rheumatism and anaemia [promoted by chronic alcoholism and nutritional deficiency stemming from a largely salt diet] were but a few "

Illuminating - and all the more depressing