circulated it to the Prince Regent and his rakish circle; meanwhile he
accepted money from Napoleon without telling Lowe or the Admiralty.
Even his skills as a doctor are open to question: some allege that
Napoleon's robust health during the second half of 1818 was attributable
to his no longer ingesting the mercury and calomel prescribed by his Irish
quack.
By 1818, fo rtified by the endorsement of the Congress of Aix-la
Chapelle for the terms of 'General Bonaparte's' detention, and tired of
the remorseless bad publicity he was receiving, Bathurst decided to relax
the conditions he had previously described as 'essential'. The regulation
that Napoleon had to show himself twice a day to the orderly officer had
never been enforced anyway, as the Emperor threatened to shoot on sight
anyone invading his privacy. Now Bathurst formally waived it and even
suggested that if Napoleon was prepared to show himself twice a day, he
might have the fr eedom of the island. But by this time Napoleon's health
was such that he no longer had any interest in roaming the not extensive
length and breadth of the island. Besides, he was still engaged in a battle
of wills where he refused to compromise.
This was the context in which yet another physician made his
appearance at Longwood. In accordance with the new post-1818 relaxed
policy towards 'General Bonaparte', it was agreed that his household
could be expanded. Madame Mere set about finding reliable servants who
could be sent out to St Helena, but in the meantime Napoleon was
without a personal physician for six months. Only when his old
symptoms returned at the beginning of 1819 did he allow Bertrand to go
to Hudson Lowe and engage the naval surgeon Dr John Stokoe, who had
come out with Admiral Plampin in 1817. Plampin proved more biddable
by Lowe than his predecessors, as he gave hostages to fortune in a
singularly inept way. Contrary to Admiralty regulations, Plampin had
brought with him a young woman not his wife. This placed him at
Lowe's mercy, for if he did not toe the governor's line he was likely to be
recalled at once.
Stokoe went out to Longwood and treated Napoleon for six days.
Napoleon made him swear he would not report on the medical condition
of his patient to Hudson Lowe. Stokoe agreed, but promptly issued three
bulletins. These, however, enraged Lowe as they confirmed O'Meara's
diagnosis of hepatitis; the implication was that Napoleon would recover if
removed from the debilitating climate of St Helena. Stokoe was yet
another who fell under the Emperor's spell, and felt well enough disposed
towards him to tell him that people with his symptoms often lived to the
proverbial old age. 'In the tropics as well?' Napoleon prompted. Stokoe
marcin
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