Editing Norman Cross Prison (section)

===Health===
Sick prisoners were initially treated in the prison hospital by two French Navy surgeons and 24 orderlies.<ref name="Walker"/>

As the number of prisoners increased, disease spread throughout the camp and 1,020 prisoners died in a [[typhus]] outbreak in 1800–1801.<ref name="Walker"/> A special 'typhus cemetery' was dug near the camp.<ref name="Wessex">[https://www.scribd.com/doc/56147568/Time-Team-Norman-Cross "Norman Cross Camp Cambridgeshire. Archaeological Evaluation and Assessment of Results".] ''Wessex Archaeology'', September 2010.</ref>

Leonard Gillespie, Surgeon to the Fleet, wrote in 1804 that [[pneumonia]] was common with some cases becoming fatal [[carditis]].<ref>{{cite journal|last=Gillespie|first=Leonard|title=Short Statement of the Result of the Practice in the Hospital for Prisoners of War at Norman Cross|journal=The London Medical and Physical Journal|volume=12|pages=345–347|year=1804|issue=68 |pmid=30491617 |pmc=5674343 }}</ref> There were also many cases of [[tuberculosis|consumption]]. A brick house for a resident British surgeon was built adjacent to the prison hospital in 1805.<ref name="Wessex"/>

A peculiar outbreak of [[nyctalopia]] or night-blindness affected many of the prisoners in 1806. They became severely [[Dyspepsia|dyspeptic]] and completely blind from sunset until dawn, to the extent that their fitter companions had to lead them around the camp. Various treatments were tried and failed; finally they were cured with [[Helleborus niger|black hellebore]], given as snuff, which relieved the dyspepsia and restored their night vision within a few days.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=KfcTAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA379 Waller, John Augustine, ''British Domestic Herbal'', 1822.] Quoted in Barton, Benjamin Herbert & [[Thomas Castle|Castle, Thomas]], ''The British Flora Medica; or, History of the Medicinal Plants of Great Britain'', London, 1837; Google Books.</ref>

A total of 1,770 prisoner deaths were recorded, the majority from disease, during the time the prison was in operation, although the records are incomplete.<ref name="Walker"/><ref>{{cite web|title= Norman Cross Camp, Cambridgeshire|url=https://www.scribd.com/document_downloads/direct/56147568?extension=pdf&ft=1612713839&lt=1612717449&show_pdf=true&user_id=540077777&uahk=UkW4_-cauut4WF427SJhrDlVOMg|website= www.scribd.com|access-date= 6 February 2012}}</ref>