Medical and surgical journal of HMS Rattlesnake for 9 January to 31 December 1853...

ADM 101/116/5A

1853

Medical and surgical journal of HMS Rattlesnake for 9 January to 31 December 1853 by Thomas B Forster, Assistant Surgeon, during which time the said ship was employed on Arctic Service.

[Note: ADM 101/116/5, 5A-5B are produced as a single document: order as ADM 101/116/5].

Folios 1-4: Copy of the daily sick book.

Folio 5: C W Stevenson, aged 20, master’s assistant; case number 1; disease or hurt, stricture, retention of urine. Put on sick list, 25 January 1853 at Sheerness. Discharged to hospital but returned to the ship after a week.

Folio 6: C W Stevenson, aged 20, master’s assistant; case number 2; disease or hurt, stricture, retention of urine. Put on sick list, 3 June 1853. Discharged 6 June 1853 to duty. Entered again on 7 June 1853 and then discharged to duty 10 June 1853.

Folio 6: C W Stevenson, aged 21, master’s assistant; case number 3; disease or hurt, stricture, retention of urine. Put on sick list, 24 July 1853 at Honolulu, Sandwich Islands. Discharged to duty on 27 July 1853.

Folio 7: C W Stevenson, aged 21, master’s assistant; case number 4; disease or hurt, stricture, retention of urine. Put on sick list, 29 August 1853 at Port Clarence. Discharged to duty on 1 September 1853.

Folios 7-9: William Wilson, aged [?], able seaman; case number 5; disease or hurt, chronic rheumatism. Put on sick list, 15 April 1853 at sea. Medically surveyed 12 May 1853 and was discharged invalided to the Vixen for a passage to England.

Folios 9-10: John Smith, aged 30, ice quartermaster; case number 6; disease or hurt, phthisis. Put on sick list, 24 April 1853 at sea. Medically surveyed 12 May 1853 and was discharged invalided.

Folios 10-11: C R B Wilkinson, aged 30, second master; case number 7; disease or hurt, delirium tremens. Put on sick list, 12 June 1853 at sea. Discharged 26 June 1853 to duty.

Folios 12-15: John Dadd, aged 30, coxswain of the pinnace; case number 8; disease or hurt, pneumonia. Put on sick list, 25 September 1853 at Port Clarence. Died 29 October 1853 in Port Clarence.

Folio 15: A nosological synopsis of the sick book kept during the period of the journal.

Folio 16: A list of men who during the period of the journal have received wounds or hurts which may partly or wholly disqualify them for the public service or subsequently in any way interfere with their earning a livelihood. Thomas Goodchild, aged 26, captain’s gunroom cook, ship pay book number, 54, hurt –oblique inguinal hernia, date of granted pension certificate -24 September 1853.

Folios 16-17: Table showing the number and types of medical cases during the covering dates of the journal nosologically arranged. Mean numerical strength of the ship’s company for the period 74?.

Folios 17-18: Surgeon’s general remarks. HMS Rattlesnake was commissioned on 28 December 1852 by Commander Henry Trollope (with a compliment of 80) for conveying relief to the Arctic ships employed in the search for Sir John Franklin’s expedition. From the difficulty of entering men at this time, and the rapidity with which the ship was ordered to be got ready, it became necessary to enter some men who had been little at sea and in their physical capacity not desirable for this service. I represented five men unfit for Arctic service, John Cox (ordinary seaman), George Craddock (ordinary seaman), James Turner (able seaman), Charles Bonner (able seaman), William Gladstone (ordinary seaman). Mentions that the small pox was raging amongst the natives at Honolulu and that they were against having vaccinations. Preserved meats, vegetables, pickles and fruit tended to keep the crew free from scurvy.

Public Record(s)

Open Document, Open Description

Topics

Pay and pensions

Race relations

Disease

Navy

Armed Forces (General Administration)