[Bonaparte's expedition in Egypt]

Bonaparte's expedition in Egypt was not only a military operation. It was also a tentative colonial move which was used as a model for over a century as well as a cultural and scientific adventure, quite unique for its time. The evacuation of the Oriental Army stands as a milestone in the history of civilisations because the protocols which marked its achievement - to which Desgenettes and Larrey contributed-displayed outstanding humanitarian and medical dimensions. The humanitarian dimension is highlighted by the remarkable contribution of the British Authorities in taking care of the wounded, sick and disabled as well as in ensuring that the French troops safely got home or dealing with the various civilian people not following the army back to France. These agreements between belligerents clearly anticipated what became, 63 years later, the cornerstone of the Red Cross. The medical dimension is illustrated with all the sanitary measures which were taken in order to keep away from any risk of plague epidemics which were rightly feared at the time. Scurvy was also an issue. Although Lind had stated its "deficiency" characteristic 50 years earlier scurvy was still considered as an infectious and contagious disease. Not surprisingly the remarkable 3000 case study made by Larrey, which undoubtedly led up to the conclusion that the disease stemmed exclusively from nutritional deficiencies, had been almost neglected.