Medical journal of the British Sovereign , convict ship, for 20 October 1840 to 31...

ADM 101/13/5

1840-1841

Medical journal of the British Sovereign, convict ship, for 20 October 1840 to 31 March 1841 by John Grant Stuwart, Surgeon, during which time the said ship was employed in transporting convicts from Kingston, Dublin to Van Diemen's Land.

Folios 1-4: Copy of daily sick list, (names and details follow).

Folios 5-7: case no 1, Michael Lyons, aged 64, farm labourer, taken ill at Kingston, Dublin; sick or hurt, malingering of piles, this patient had manage to escape going out by the last two ships sent on from Dublin. On examining him at Kilmainham the patient could not speak English, although the patient said he was not well, the surgeon could not make up his mind whether the patient could make the voyage. The surgeon mentioned that he could not keep this patient on deck and on sending for him discovered that the patient was passing large quantities of blood but when the surgeon turned him up he noticed no appearance of haemorrhoids externally or of fistula. At first the surgeon thought that the patient might have dysentery but it was not, the surgeon could not make out this patient's complaint, day by day he brought his pannikin of burgoo untouched and he looked exhausted. The patient was carried in daily for examination and he looked miserable. The surgeon stated that an accident brought him in contact with the jailor, who told the surgeon that he was acquainted by one of the prisoners that Lyons intended to work on the surgeon's sympathy by abstaining from food for a few days and that he had plagued them at Kilmainham. When the surgeon ordered him to sit over a tub of hot water, two pieces of soap dropped from the patients posterior, and that after a little trouble he confessed to having introduced them into the rectum with the view of inducing piles; put on sick list 10 December 1840, discharged 16 December 1840.

Folios 7-9: case no 2, Patrick Murphy, age not stated, house breaker, taken ill at Kingston, Dublin; sick or hurt, aneurism, a muscular, pale and bloated subject, had a pulsating tumour of about three inches in breadth over the cause of the femoral artery; put on sick list 10 December 1840, discharged 16 December 1840.

Folios 9-10: case no 3, Charles Lyons, aged 24, cow herd, taken ill at Kingston, Dublin; sick or hurt, disease of elbow, he was in Carrick Jail for 3 months and Kilmainham for 14 days, was a florid, healthy looking man, had a large irregular tumour over the olecranon 2 ½ inches long and about the same breadth, it was reddish, hot and firm, painful and throbbing; put on sick list 19 December 1840, discharged 16 December 1840.

Folios 11-12: case no 4, William Quann, aged 22, formerly o soldier, taken ill at sea; sick or hurt, testitis, had hernia humoralis on the right side which came on after gonorrhoea in July and was never entirely removed; put on sick list 29 December 1840, discharged 17 February 1841.

Folios 12-13: case no 5, James Casey, aged 27, labourer, served 16 months at Cork City Jail, taken ill at sea; sick or hurt, chronic headache, seven months ago attempted to make his escape from jail and fell head downwards from a height of twenty seven feet and was under medical treatment for five months, in consequence of some affection of the head he suffered from constant headache principally in the temples and forehead; put on sick list 22 December 1840, discharged 2 January 1841.

Folios 13-14: case no 6, John Manning, aged 20, Private 96th Regt, taken ill at sea; sick or hurt, fever, served two years in the army, seized in the morning with headache and [?], shortly afterwards, now had slight pyrexia, bowels regular. At noon had a great deal of headache, giddiness and pain in the right side; put on sick list 1 January 1841, discharged 15 January 1841.

Folios 14-16: case no 7, George Leonard, aged 22, shoemaker, served [12?] months in Military Prison and 3 months in Kilmainham, taken ill at sea; sick or hurt, acute rheumatismus, formerly a soldier, muscular and florid, quite disposition, presented himself with inflamed wrist, which he imagined he had strained; put on sick list 3 January 1841, discharged 29 March 1841.

Folios 17-18: case no 8, Edmund Dorley, aged 40, farm labourer, served 4 months in Galway and 1 week in Kilmainham, taken ill at sea; sick or hurt, diarrhoea, much older in constitution than years, according to the surgeon this patient seem to have experienced paralysis, of which he denied, he had dyspepsia since came on board; put on sick list 13 January 1841, discharged 2 February 1841.

Folios 18-19: case no 9, Hugh Reilly, aged 28, labourer, served 4 months in Monaghan Jail and 1 week in Kilmainham, taken ill at sea; sick or hurt, rheumatism; put on sick list 3 January 1841, discharged 26 January 1841, he was re admitted on 28 January 1841 for diarrhoea, and was discharged 30 January 1841.

Folio 19: case no 10, Joseph Nowlan, aged 15, pick pocket, taken ill at sea; sick or hurt, gastrodynia; put on sick list 21 December 1840, discharged 27 December 1840.

Folio 20: case no 11, John Kirby, aged 55, Shop Keeper, taken ill at sea; sick or hurt, icterus; put on sick list 27 December 1840, discharged 7 January 1841.

Folios 20-21: case no 12, Peter [Sherbrook?], aged 21, Private 96th Regt, taken ill at sea; sick or hurt, febris; put on sick list 11 March 1841, discharged 17 March 1841.

Folio 21: case no 13, William Bupient, aged 20, Seaman, taken ill at sea; sick or hurt, fever; put on sick list 5 February 1841, discharged 10 February 1841.

Folios 22-23: case no 14, John Butler, aged 24, Butcher, taken ill at sea; sick or hurt, fever; put on sick list 8 March 1841, discharged 20 March 1841.

Folio 23: case no 15, Richard Burke, aged 17, Cabinet Maker, taken ill at sea; sick or hurt, glossitis; put on sick list 13 February 1841, discharged 17 February 1841.

Folio 24: case no 16, Thomas McCann, aged 33, formerly soldier, taken ill at sea; sick or hurt, inflamed mouth; put on sick list 8 March 1841, discharged 12 March 1841.

Folios 24-25: case no 17, Francis Larwood, aged 45, formerly soldier, taken ill at sea; sick or hurt, pneumonia; put on sick list 28 December 1840, discharged 16 January 1841.

Folio 25: case no 18, David Smith, aged 19, Private 96th Regt, taken ill at sea; sick or hurt, diarrhoea; put on sick list 4 January 1841, discharged 12 January 1841.

Folio 26: case no 19, William Smith, aged 26, Private 96th Regt, taken ill at sea; sick or hurt, hernia humoralis; put on sick list 27 January 1841, discharged 19 February 1841.

Folio 27: Nosological return of cases mentioned in the journal.

Folio 28: Table of dietaries of the respective jails in Ireland from which the convicts had been received on board British Sovereign.

Folios 28-32: Surgeon's general remarks. The whole number of persons embarked on board was two hundred and sixty four of whom 180 were male convicts embarked at Kingston Dublin between 3 and 15 December, the remaining number composed the military guard their wives and children and the crew having embarked at Deptford on the 30 October. The surgeon remarks on dietary of Irish’s Jails and Irish peasantry.

Public Record(s)

Open Document, Open Description

Topics

Shipping

Army

Australia and Pacific

Ireland

Children

Disease

Food and drink

Navy

Medicine

Armed Forces (General Administration)

Prisons