Medical and surgical journal of Her Majesty?s gun vessel Nimble for 1 January to...

ADM 101/184/1B

1872

Medical and surgical journal of Her Majesty’s gun vessel Nimble for 1 January to 31 December 1872 by George B Murray, Assistant Surgeon, during which time the said gun vessel was employed in the Persian Gulf and at Bombay. HMS Nimble, 1 January -31 December 1872.

[Note: ADM 101/184, 1A-1B are produced as a single document: order as ADM 101/184].

Folio 1: Printed instructions on completing the journal, nosological tables and general remarks. With a note pasted in ‘A very creditable and practical journal by a young officer. Observations on medical topography of Persian Gulf etc very good’.

Folios 2 – 3: George Hayter, aged 31, Boatswain’s Mate; disease or hurt, diarrhoea. Put on sick list, 8 April 1872, at Bahrain. Discharged, 12 April 1872. Had not been eating or drinking anything to cause the attack but had suffered frequent dysentery when in China.

Folio 3: Arthur Evans, aged 19, Signalman 2nd Class; disease or hurt, vertigo. Put on sick list, 15 May 1872, at Bahrain. Discharged, 17 May 1872. When working aloft he suddenly felt faint and could only with difficulty hold on to the mast, the sun was very hot at the time.

Folio 3: J Joseph Cruse, aged 22, Signalman 2nd Class; disease or hurt, vertigo. Put on sick list, 15 May 1872, at Bahrain. Discharged, 18 May 1872. Overcome with giddiness when working aloft and had to be helped down.

Folios 3 – 6: Somerled MacDougall, aged 34, Commander; disease or hurt, mania (acute). Put on sick list, 16 May 1872, at Bahrain. Joined the ship at Bushira 28 March 1872 from England. In April he spoke to all hands and said he had noticed ‘there was a screw loose somewhere’ and he wished to hear any grievances and address them, which he did. On 14 May the Lynx arrived under Commander Keats and Commander MacDougall quarrelled with him over some provisions that Commander Keats had brought. The following day he ordered everything to got ready for sea and kept the men aloft and himself exposed to the hot sun. On 16 May he ordered steam to be got up but Commander Keats refused permission to part company and sent an officer aboard with orders. Commander MacDougall pointed a pistol at the head of the officer. Assistant Surgeon Murray was asked his opinion of the Commander’s behaviour and reported his conduct as strange and excited and that he should be carefully watched, he had not slept since the arrival of the Lynx. The surgeon put him on the sick list for acute mania and reported it to Lieutenant Lang. On 17 May Commander MacDougall ordered the Boatswain to clear for action since he intended engaging the Lynx. He continued to eat and sleep very irregularly. On 19 May he became violent and destroyed everything he could lay his hands on in his cabin, the surgeon had his bed moved to the deck. He continued much the same and on the arrival of HMS Briton on 8 June a survey was held and Commander MacDougall was invalided ‘for the preservation of his life’. At dinner on 9 June he seized a large carving knife and rushed on deck threatening all the officers. Assistant Surgeon Murray believes the exciting cause of his attack to have been ‘the dispute with Commander Keats operating upon a person of a highly neurotic temperament and a constitution debilitated by previous disease’.

Folio 6: Joseph Fudge, aged 18, Boy 1st Class; disease or hurt, fever simple continued. Put on sick list, 29 May 1872, at Bahrain. Discharged, 5 July 1872. Folio 7: John Egg, aged 24, Stoker; disease or hurt, debility. Put on sick list, 3 July 1872, at sea. Discharged, 12 July 1872.

Folios 7 – 8: Joseph Hurrell, aged 26, Leading Seaman; disease or hurt, fever simple continued. Put on sick list, 6 July 1872, at sea. Discharged, 27 July 1872.

Folios 8 – 9: John Keohane, aged 21, Able Seaman; disease or hurt, sunstroke. Put on sick list, 21 June 1872, at Bahrain. Discharged, 10 July 1872. Exposed to the sun in the cutter while laying out a hawser, he was almost insensible with a temperature of 102. On 1 July he suffered an epileptic seizure.

Folio 9: James Target, aged 27, Able Seaman; disease or hurt, wound, lacerated and contused. Put on sick list, 21 June 1872, at Muscat. Discharged, 31 July 1872. The port gun amidships recoiled so far it jammed his foot against the stokehold hatchway.

Folio 9: Sydney Vennerburgh, aged 28, Gunner Royal Marine Artillery; disease or hurt, fracture. Put on sick list, 11 July 1872, at Muscat. Discharged, 31 July 1872. One leave ashore he fell thirty feet from the roof of a house on shore while intoxicated.

Folios 10 – 11: Mr E William Grigg, aged 31, Engineer; disease or hurt, chronic albumenuria. Put on sick list, 25 June 1872, at sea near Muscat. Invalided, [30 June] 1872, and discharged to Mail Steamer for passage to England, [4] July 1872. He had suffered bad health since joining the ship in 1870.

Folios 11 – 12: William Howlett, aged 43, Acting Chief Carpenter’s Mate; disease or hurt, pneumonia. Put on sick list, 4 August 1872, at Bombay. Invalided, 27 September 1872, discharged to Mail Steamer for passage to England, 30 September 1872. He had been healthy in this ship, apart from an attack of vertigo, but had suffered a severe illness twelve years previously in the West Indies. He was sent to hospital at Bombay on 29 August and was invalided from there with symptoms of phthisis. With a copy of a note from John R Hulseberg Staff Surgeon at the hospital recommending invaliding.

Folio 13: Table I, Showing the movements of the ship. Folio 13: Table II, Men who have received wounds or hurts, no names are listed.

Folio 14: Table III, All cases for period from 1 January 1872 to 31 December 1872. Average numerical strength of the ship’s company 80.57.

Folio 15: Table IV, not completed.

Folio 16: Table V, number of cases arranged by age groups.

Folios 16 – 23: Surgeon’s general remarks. Folios 16 to 17 describe ‘Changes which have been made affecting the ventilation etc’ and lists changes made at Bombay to the cowls, communications between the bilges and officer’s quarters were closed, hatches, double awnings, water tanks and the cooling tank for the distilled water. Folios 17 to 20 describe the places visited, including descriptions of Abu Thabi [Abu Dhabi], Debay [Dubai], Shargeh [Sharjah], Ras al kheimeh [Ras al-Khaimah], Henjam island, Lingeh, Bahrein Island [Bahrain], Bushire [Bushehr], Muscat, Johar.

Folio 20 discusses the abolition of the contagious diseases act in Bombay, their return to the Gulf and action against slave dhows.

Folios 20 – 21 describes the ‘Climatology of the Persian Gulf’ and its effects, with a list of ‘Recommendations for the preservation of the health of ship’s companies serving in the Persian Gulf’ with 10 recommendations for hot months and 4 for cold months.

Folios 22 – 23 discuss diseases under the headings; ‘Vaccinia’; ‘Simple continued fever’; ‘Syphilis Primary and Gonorrhoea’; ‘Sunstroke and Vertigo’ is discussed in some detail.

Folio 23: Lists the numbers of officers and men revaccinated before leaving Bombay and the number of days on salt provisions, lime juice, in harbour and on which leave was granted, with the numbers of days leave in four different places and how many cases of venereal disease resulted.

Folios 24 – 25: Alphabetical sick list.

Folios 26 – 30: Blank.

Public Record(s)

Open Document, Open Description

Topics

Shipping

Asia

Caribbean

Slavery

Disease

Navy

Middle East

Hospitals

Armed Forces (General Administration)