curing of new supplies
was highly uncertain.[30]

A letter dated December 2, 1775, from a British officer in Boston to a
friend in Edinburgh observed that "many of our men are sick, and fresh
provisions very dear." However, the officer added, "but the Rebels
must be in a much worse condition...."[31] Drugs were imported into
Boston during the siege as evidenced by an advertisement on February
22, 1776, announcing "just imported from LONDON and to be sold at Mr.
Dalton's Store, on the Long-Wharf, a proper assortment of Drugs and
Medicines of the Best quality in Cases."[32]

By the end of February 1776, Washington had decided to try to end the
siege of Boston by seizing Dorchester Heights and placing his
artillery there in a position to bombard the town. General Howe
believed it was time to leave, and the British evacuated on March 17.

As the Continental Army moved into Boston, there was an outcry that
the British had poisoned a supply of drugs left behind. On April 15
the _Boston Gazette_ reported that "it is absolutely fact that the
Doctors of the diabolical ministerial butcher when they evacuated
Boston, intermixed and left 26 weight of Arsenick with the medicines
which they left in the Alms House."[33] Then, a week later, on April
22, appeared a series of testimonials that had been made by Joseph
Warren, Daniel Scott, and Frederick Ridgley at Watertown on April 3d
"by order of the Director-General of the Continental Hospital." Warren
swore under oath that on or about March 29 he had gone into the
workhouse [almshouse] "lately improved as an hospital by the British
troops stationed in said town" and upon examining the state of "a
large quantity of Medicine" left in the medicinal storeroom had found
about 12 or 14 pounds of arsenic intermixed with the drugs, which were
found "to be chiefly capital articles and those most generally in
demand."[34]

Despite this incident, we have the word of Morgan that "a large,
though unassorted stock of medicines" was collected in Boston when the
British evacuated.[35] Hospital Surgeons Ebenezer Crosby and Frederick
Ridgley reported that "at the evacuation of Boston ... all the Mates
of the Hospital that could be spared from Cambridge ... were employed
in packing up and sending off [to Cambridge] drugs, medicines and
other hospital stores, collected by order of Dr. Morgan, the quantity
of which appeared great."[36]

Inasmuch as few medicines were listed in the inventory of store