My dear Sir

I think if the Memorandum, which you sent to M^r. Busk & which I returned to him were attached to the form or table to be filled up it would be an advantage, as explaining the object of the enquiry, & leading men to take an interest in it.¹

Do you not think it might be as well in the first instance to restrict the enquiry to Malarious & Yellow Fevers and to Dysentery. These are definite & easily recognized Complaints; if “liver diseases” are added there would be more difficulty about diagnosis.

A tabular form would perhaps be the Easiest to fill up. I enclose one for your consideration.² The object of having columns for 1^st. & 2^nd or subsequent attacks is to prevent the fallacy of one man going into Hosp^l. many times with the same disease & so giving an apparent preponderance of attacks to a particular colour.

Did you ever happen to read a little paper by D^r. John Beddoe on the colour of the hair & eyes of the Scotch & of some of the Continental nations?³ He seems to think the colour of the Iris less trustworthy than that of the hair.

But it would be easy to introduce columns for the colour of the Irides if you thought it desirable.

If you thought some table of the kind I enclose would do, I would show it to the Director General⁴ & if he approves he might send it out to Calcutta, Bombay, Madras & the West Indies with a request that the attention of the Army Surgeons be drawn to the subject, but without making the return compulsory. There are sure to be some who will take with interest to the work if they know what it means.

If this course be adopted it might be well to lithograph or print a few of your memoranda and tables to be sent out.