Folio 9: Susan McDonald, aged 41, Convict No 41; disease or hurt, dyspepsia. Put...

ADM 101/75/3/5

1843-1844

Folio 9: Susan McDonald, aged 41, Convict No 41; disease or hurt, dyspepsia. Put on sick list, 14 September 1843, at sea. Discharged, 8 December 1843. Had been weak, low spirited and suffering from sea sickness, unable to retain much on her stomach. She appeared to 'feel her disgraced situation very acutely'.

Folio 10: Margaret Somerville, aged 27, Convict No 60; disease or hurt, debility. Put on sick list, 15 September 1843, at sea. Discharged, 14 November 1843. Had suffered a great deal from sea sickness and debility of the lower extremities, she also suffered constipation and haemorrhoids.

Folio 11: Elizabeth Telford, aged 17, Convict No 120; disease or hurt, synochus. Put on sick list, 26 September 1843. Discharged, 19 October 1843.

Folios 12-15: Sarah Harris, aged 26, Convict No 26; disease or hurt, synochus. Put on sick list, 4 October 1843, at sea. Discharged, 25 December 1843. The mother of 4 children, all of whom were on board and the youngest of which was 4 months old and had to be weaned because of her illness. She had been unwell and unable to eat for a fortnight before she complained and attributed it to sleeping under a windsail. She suffered a mucus discharge and tumour on her vagina. A note dated 5 February 1844, says she was well and had suffered no return of her illness on the day before the surgeon left the colony.

Folio 15: Hanna Moore, aged 30, Convict No 130; disease or hurt, opthalmia. Put on sick list, 4 October 1843. Discharged, 9 October 1843.

Folio 16: Mary Ann Butterworth, aged 22, Convict No 1; disease or hurt, rheumatism. Put on sick list, 13 October 1843. Discharged, 15 November 1843.' Of a full plethoric habit of habit', she had suffered menorrhagia since being confined six months earlier until the previous week. She had suffered acute rheumatism before and complained this time after sitting on deck beneath the wind from a sail.

Folio 17: The case of five women affected by scurvy. Jane Billington, aged 26; Sarah Reid, aged 49; Eliza Normington, aged 19; Elizabeth Hutchinson, aged 21; Ellen Mortimer, aged 45; disease or hurt, scorbutus. Put on sick list between 26 October and November 1843. Discharged, 4 December 1843. All were issued with oatmeal instead of salt provisions and given a mixture of medicine, including lemon juice, and exercised by skipping every evening.

Folio 18: Hannah Goff, aged 17, Convict No 153; disease or hurt, rheumatism. Put on sick list, 27 October 1843, at sea. Discharged, 5 November 1843.Complained of severe pains in her shoulders and arms and considerable fever. She had got wet the previous morning 'when washing'. Her bowels were confined and a catheter drew off a pint and a half of urine.

Folio 19: Mary Kains, aged 22, Convict No 189; disease or hurt, diarrhoea. Put on sick list, 2 November 1843, at sea. Discharged, 15 November 1843. Had been sick with fever a month previously and been weak for a long time afterwards and had 'fallen away considerably'.

Folio 20: Susan Taylor's Child, aged 2 months; disease or hurt, atrophy. Put on sick list, 4 November 1843, at sea. Died, 16 December 1843.The child was born on board but it's mother was 'a spare, weak person' and did not have enough milk in spite of being allowed extra wine and gruel. The child was given arrowroot. [There is no indication of the child's name or sex].

Folio 20: Sarah Harriss' Child, aged 4 months; disease or hurt, atrophia. Put on sick list, 12 November 1843, at sea. Died, 4 December 1843. 'This child was 1 month old when it came on board and a small weakly child', it's mother lost her milk through sickness and although given soup and arrowroot it became more and more emaciated. [There is no indication of the child's name or sex].

Folio 21: Susan Taylor, aged 22, Convict No 136; disease or hurt, opthalmia. Put on sick list, 12 November 1843, at sea. Discharged, 28 November 1843. Suffered 'severe inflammation of the conjunctiva, with severe rheumatic affection of the scalp'.

Folio 22: Eliza Johnstone, aged 18, Convict No 52; disease or hurt, constipation. Put on sick list, 17 November 1843, at sea. Discharged, 24 November 1843. 'Leucophlegmatic habit of body', complained of pain in the situation of the transverse colon and not having moved her bowels for 10 days.

Folio 23: Eliza Gormon, aged 20, Convict No 144; disease or hurt, synochus. Put on sick list, 24 November 1843, at sea. Discharged, 30 November 1843.

Folio 24: Diana Wilson, aged 19, Convict No 114; disease or hurt, synochus. Put on sick list, 6 December 1843, at sea. Discharged, 13 December 1843. 'Of a thin spare habit' and had not been unwell for four months.

Folio 25: Jane Wilson's Child, aged 10 months; disease or hurt, hydrocephalous. Put on sick list, 14 December 1843, at sea. Died, 23 December 1843. A 'small, weakly child' that had been given medicine and extra food at various times.

Folio 25: Elizabeth Jessop, aged 38, Convict No 90; disease or hurt, diarrhoea. Put on sick list, 23 December 1843, at sea. Discharged to the hospital at Hobart Town, 26 December 1843.Suckling a 12 month old child and had been very weak for some time.

Folio 26: Mary A Hamilton, aged 30, Convict No 166; disease or hurt, rheumatism. Put on sick list, 25 December 1843, off the Derwent. Sent to the hospital at Hobart Town, 26 December 1843.

Folio 26: Augusta Wilson, aged 40, Convict No 149; disease or hurt, synochus. Put on sick list, 1 January 1844, on the River Derwent. Discharged to the hospital [at Hobart Town], 2 January 1844. Also suckling a child she got wet the previous day while washing.

Folio 27: Thomas Foley, aged 4; disease or hurt, scald. Put on sick list, 2 January 1844, on the Derwent River. Discharged to the shore, 6 January 1844.Severely scalded on the right arm and side. He was discharged when the prisoners were landed.

Folio 27: A nosological synopsis of the sick book kept during the period of this journal, in conformity with the 30th article of the Surgeon's Instructions.

Folios 28-30: Surgeon's general remarks. In letter form, addressed to Sir W A Burnett, MD.Between 4 and 11 August 1843, 204 female convicts, 24 children and 4 male and 15 female warders were embarked. Many of the convicts were debilitated but none had to be refused. They were washed and issued with clothing, their own clothing being taken away. Although there were a great many cases on the list, most were trivial. The synochus cases were mostly slight symptomatic affections, arising from 'suppression of some accustomed evacuation'. None of the vaccinations were successful although two or three trials were made. The unsuccessful atrophy and hydrocephalous cases occurred to very young weakly children at the breast, there was plenty of food for infants. The diarrhoea cases arose from change of food or cold, of the two sent to the hospital, one arose from disordered digestion and had suckled her child the whole voyage. The other was more serious and due to her previously dissipated life. Scurvy appeared after passing the Cape, the nitre mixture recommended by Dr Cameron was given and every symptom disappeared and six weeks after landing they all remained free from disease. The debility cases were generally from long sea sickness. The employment of the prisoners during the voyage had the best effects on health and discipline. The surgeon recommends all female convict vessels to be provided with means of employing the prisoners, such as shirt making, with women appointed to cutting out and supervising to prevent wanton waste and destruction of the materials. More than 1100 shirts were made on board during the voyage, the women making on average one shirt a day. Those employed at needlework in the morning read in the afternoons and vice versa.

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