Medical journal of HMS Arrogant , from 1 January to 1 August 1855 by John Gallagher,...

ADM 101/87/3A

1855

Medical journal of HMS Arrogant, from 1 January to 1 August 1855 by John Gallagher, surgeon, during which time the said ship was employed in the Baltic and Home Stations. (Described at item level).

[Note: ADM 101/87/3, 3A-3B are produced as a single document: order as ADM 101/87/3].

Folios 1-7: Copy of daily sick list.

Folios 8-9: case no 1, Richard Stabbing, aged 48, Armourer; sick or hurt, dislocation of humerus into axilla; put on sick list 15 February 1855, discharged 11 March 1855 to duty.

Folios 10-11: case no 2, George White, aged 27, Private Marine; sick or hurt, variola; put on sick list 20 March 1855, sent 24 March 1855 to Hospital at Deal.

Folios 11-15: case no 3, Alfred Wittingstall, aged 20, Engineer’s Steward; sick or hurt, variola; put on sick list 4 April 1855, died 16 April 1855 on board. The Surgeon noted that both this and the preceding case had vaccine scars on the arms, the first [George White] evidently brought the disease with him from the shore and the latter caught the disease from him.

Folios 15-16: case no 4, John Harrison, aged 24, Able Seaman; sick or hurt, wound, while employed on the main deck, the ship stopper of the anchor carried away and left foot got jammed between a large ring bolt and the cable by which the whole of the soft parts inside of foot was torn off; put on sick list 13 April 1855, discharged 24 June 1855 to duty.

Folios 17-19: case no 5, Patrick Noonan, aged 22, Ordinary Seaman; sick or hurt, pneumonia; put on sick list 22 April 1855, discharged 17 May 1855 to HMS [Tartar?] for passage to England as a convalescent.

Folios 20-21: case no 6, George Ellis, aged 26, Leading Seaman; sick or hurt, burn from explosion of gun powder, while employed on shore blasting rocks in the enemies batteries an explosion took place before he got into a safe place, by which the left arm from hand to shoulder joint was severely burnt; put on sick list 6 July 1855, discharged 31 July 1855 when the Surgeon left the ship.

Folios 22-23: case no 7, Francis Hill, aged 25, Ordinary Seaman; sick or hurt, ischuria renalis, a sickly delicate man who suffered from gonorrhoea and syphilis in all its stages, was under treatment in Haslar for some months, he was a carpenter and worked in the carpenter’s crew till lately when as a punishment for his frequent acts of misconduct he was made to work on deck since then he became a frequent visitor to the sick bay some time with [glands?] discharge and scalding another with pains in the limbs; put on sick list 8 July 1855, died 11 July 1855 at 9 pm.

Folio 24: case no 8, Richard Jago, aged 20, Ordinary Seaman; sick or hurt, fracture of olecranum; put on sick list 10 July 1855, remained under treatment.

Folio 25: case no 9, William West, aged 39, Private Marine; sick or hurt, gun shot wound of right hand, while engaged against the enemy was struck by a rifle ball on the back of the metacarpal joint of the right middle finger, he was in the act of firing his own rifle with the finger bent; put on sick list 14 July 1855, sent 18 July 1855 to HMS Volage to await a passage to Hospital.

Folios 26-27: case no 10, Harold Ford, aged 20, Ordinary Seaman; sick or hurt, gun shot wound of right hand, while employed with the preceding case [William West] was struck about the same time by a rifle ball which went across the back of metarcarpus; put on sick list 14 July 1855, remained under treatment.

Folios 27-28: case no 11, George Hitches, aged 36, Gunner’s Mate; sick or hurt, burn from explosion of gun powder, while on the same service as the preceding case a shell rocket burst in the boat, the ammunitions in the boat exploded, he received a burn over every part of his body, limbs and hands; put on sick list 14 July 1855, died 16 July 1855 at about 5 pm.

Folio 28: case no 12, Edward Coleman, aged 25, Able Seaman; sick or hurt, burn from explosion of powder, he was a Coxswain of the boat in which the preceding case occurred and was also severely burned in the arms as high as the shoulders also in legs, thighs and left cheek and eye; put on sick list 14 July 1855, sent 18 July 1855 to HMS Volage and left under treatment of the medical officers of HMS Russell till the Bellisle hospital ship arrived.

Folios 28-29: case no 13, Edward Quinn, aged 34, Able Seaman Gun Boat Ruby; sick or hurt, gun shot injury of left shoulder, while engaged with a battery at Frederick’s [?], struck on the back of left shoulder by a 30 [lbs?] round shot; put on sick list 21 July 1855, sent 1 August 1855 to Hospital ship Bellisle.

Folio 29: Nosological return of cases mentioned in the journal.

Folio 30: The following is a list of men who received wounds or hurts during the period of this journal. John Harrison, aged 24, Able Seaman; pension granted on 24 June 1855; nature of hurts, severe lacerated wound of inner side of the right foot by a crushed between the chain cable and ring bolt, received on 13 April 1855. Edward Coleman, aged 24, Able Seaman; pension granted on 18 July 1855; nature of hurts, severely burned over face and extremities from the explosion of a rocket in his boat while engaged with enemy, received on 13 July 1855. William West, aged 39, Private Marine; pension granted on 18 July 1855; nature of hurts, gun shot wound of right hand, while engaged with enemy, received on 13 July 1855. Harold Ford, aged 20, Ordinary Seaman; pension granted on 30 July 1855; nature of hurts, gun shot wound of soft part of right matarcarpus, while engaged with enemy, received on 13 July 1855. Thomas Cooper, aged 24, Ordinary Seaman; pension granted on 30 July 1855; nature of hurts, contused and lacerated wound of last joint of left middle finger, while employed in an act of duty, received on 15 July 1855. George Ellis, aged 36, Leading Seaman; pension granted on 30 July 1855; nature of hurts, severe burn of left arm, right side of face and right eye received while employed making mines to destroy one of enemy batteries, received on 7 July 1855.

Folios 30-31: Table of medical statistics.

Folios 31-35: Surgeon's general remarks. During the period of this journal 520 entries were made on the sick list of whom 415 has been discharged to duty, 81 sent to hospital, 4 died and 20 remained on the list. According to the Surgeon the diseases of the respiratory organs formed a large portion of the ship company not less than 160 of which 6 were sent to hospital, 3 remained on list and 151 returned to duty, also there were 41 cases of disease of urinary organs, of whom 17 were sent to hospital. There were 35 cases of wounds, 30 were sent to duty, 2 to hospital, 1 killed and 2 remained on list, the Surgeon remarks on the case of death occurring in the boats while engaged with the enemy off Wyborgh [Viborg] on the 13 July, a shell rocket burst in the boat, the crews were picked up but Mr Storey, Midshipman, the officer of the boat was not seen afterwards. The Surgeon mentions case no 13. which he stated as interesting, as it its showed what an amount of injury may be done by a spent shot with the skin not being broken.

Public Record(s)

Open Document, Open Description

Topics

Pay and pensions

Weapons

Disease

Navy

Medicine

Armed Forces (General Administration)