Abstract
This article is a study of British military medicine during the second Anglo-French joint expedition to China in 1860. It discusses British medical planning, specifically in terms of logistics, hospital systems, personal hygiene, and barrack sanitation, in the context of post-Crimean War military medical reform, and analyzes the role medicine played in maintaining man power, morale, and discipline. The British army had an edge over its Chinese adversary in terms of speed, efficiency, organization, and management. This article explores the ways in which medicine contributed to the above advantages. The article will also examine the observations British medical officers made about Chinese climates and environments, and their methods of preventing and treating diseases and casualties. Finally, it will also consider the role played by Chinese collaborators, such as Chinese coolies, in British military medical work.
Keywords
British Empire, military medicine, Opium War, discipline, hygiene
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