Medical journal of the Jane , convict ship, from 14 March to 14 November 1831 by...

Medical journal of the Jane, convict ship, from 14 March to 14 November 1831 by Oliver Sproule, surgeon and superintendent, during which time the ship was employed in the convict service.

Folios 1-3: case no. 1, Captain George Mason, aged 26, captain 4th regt., taken ill at Cove of Cork; sick or hurt, venereal, two small chancres behind the corona glans; put on sick list 8 April 1831, discharged 17 May 1831.

Folio 3: case no. 2, Private Mills, aged 33, private 4th regt., taken ill at sea; sick or hurt, psora, eruption on several parts of his body and also of an intolerable itching; put on sick list 2 May 1831, discharged 7 May 1831 to duty.

Folios 3-4: case no. 3, Private R. Pavey, aged 37, [private 4th regt.?], taken ill at sea; sick or hurt, catarrhal affection, shivering and sense of coldness and pain across his loins; put on sick list 9 May 1831, discharged 16 May 1831 to duty.

Folio 4: case no. 4, Patrick Healey, aged 19, convict, taken ill at sea; sick or hurt, synocha, headache and thirst, prostration of strength, pyrexia; put on sick list 11 May 1831, discharged 12 May 1831. Folio 4: case no. 5, Edmond Mahony, aged 20, convict, taken ill at sea; sick or hurt, catarrh, cough and pain in the chest and a costive state of the bowels; put on sick list 4 June 1831, discharged 10 June 1831. Folio 5: case no. 6, Private Carr, aged 40, private 4th regt., taken ill at sea; sick or hurt, rheumatism, nausea, debility and pain across the loins and headache; put on sick list 6 June 1831, discharged 9 June 1831 to duty. Folio 5: case no. 7, Hugh Lyons, aged 25, convict, taken ill at sea; sick or hurt, herpes, herpetic eruption on his posteriors, affected to a considerable extent; put on sick list 13 June 1831, discharged 21 June 1831. Folio 6: case no. 8, Patrick Kernan, aged 30, convict, taken ill at sea; sick or hurt, pneumonia, headache and pain across his loins also of his chest with cough and difficulty of breathing; put on sick list 16 June 1831, discharged 21 June 1831. Folios 6-7: case no. 9, Private Matthews, aged 26, private 4th regt., taken ill at sea; sick or hurt, vulnus, while on duty at the larboard gangway pitched down the main hatch ways by which he received a severe wound of the scalp and a contusion on the left temple; put on sick list 17 June 1831, discharged 25 June 1831 to duty. Folio 7: case no. 10, John Sullivan, aged 26, convict, taken ill at sea; sick or hurt, synocha, headache, nausea and debility; put on sick list 6 July 1831, discharged 9 July 1831. Folios 7-8: case no. 11, James McMahon, aged 22, convict, taken ill at sea; sick or hurt, gastritis, headache, nausea and retching cough and procordial oppression; put on sick list 20 July 1831, discharged 26 July 1831. Folio 8: case no. 12, Daniel Brian, aged 40, convict, taken ill at sea; sick or hurt, scurvy, spongy gums, swelling and regidity of the left knee with livid discolouration of the skin; put on sick list 23 July 1831, discharged 9 August 1831. Folio 8: case no. 13, William [Quinlivan], aged 22, convict, taken ill at sea; sick or hurt, herpetic eruption; put on sick list 9 August 1831, discharged 16 August 1831. Folio 8: case no. 14, Edward Maheny, aged 20, convict, taken ill at sea; sick or hurt, herpetic eruption; put on sick list 9 August 1831, discharged 16 August 1831. Folios 9-10, 13, 16-17: case no. 15, Michael Mooney, aged 30, convict, taken ill at sea; sick or hurt, chronic hepatitis, pain in the right side, bad appetite and thirst; put on sick list 9 August 1831, died 16 September 1831 at 9pm. Folios 9, 40: case no. 16, Tomothy Murphy, aged 26, convict, taken ill at sea; sick or hurt, catarrh and debility, headache, pain in his chest and cough; put on sick list 10 August 1831, sent 11 November 1831 to hospital. Folios 10, 13: case no. 17, Jeremiah Mahony, aged 27, convict, taken ill at sea; sick or hurt, scurvy; put on sick list 19 August 1831, discharged 4 September 1831 cured. Folios 10, 13: case no. 18, Stephen Walsh, aged 55, convict, taken ill at sea; sick or hurt, scurvy; put on sick list 19 August 1831, discharged 5 September 1831 cured.

Folio 11: on examining the prisoners today found those men [cases no. 19-25 below] slightly affected with scurvy, placed them on the list, ordered the solution of nitre twice a day.

Folios 11, 13: case no. 19, Michael Cotter, aged 20, convict, taken ill at sea; sick or hurt, scurvy; put on sick list 20 August 1831, discharged 5 September 1831 cured. Folios 11, 13: case no. 20, Patrick Mills, aged 19, convict, taken ill at sea; sick or hurt, scurvy; put on sick list 20 August 1831, discharged 5 September 1831 cured. Folios 11, 13: case no. 21, James Golding, aged 30, convict, taken ill at sea; sick or hurt, scurvy; put on sick list 20 August 1831, discharged 5 September 1831 cured. Folios 11, 13: case no. 22, John Drake, aged 27, convict, taken ill at sea; sick or hurt, scurvy; put on sick list 20 August 1831, discharged 5 September 1831 cured. Folios 11, 13: case no. 23, James Manns, aged 20, convict, taken ill at sea; sick or hurt, scurvy; put on sick list 20 August 1831, discharged 5 September 1831 cured. Folios 11, 13: case no. 24, Patrick Healy, aged 19, convict, taken ill at sea; sick or hurt, scurvy; put on sick list 20 August 1831, discharged 5 September 1831 cured. Folios 11, 13: case no. 25, Michael Farrel, aged 25, convict, taken ill at sea; sick or hurt, scurvy; put on sick list 20 August 1831, discharged 5 September 1831 cured. Folios 11-12: case no. 26, John Coughlan, aged 30, convict, taken ill at sea; sick or hurt, scorbutic diarrhoea; put on sick list 20 August 1831, died 28 August 1831 at 10.30 am. Folio 14: case no. 27, John Campbell, aged 15, convict, taken ill at sea; sick or hurt, fracture; put on sick list 1 September 1831, discharged 1 October 1831 cured. Folio 14: case no. 28, Denis Ryan, aged 27, convict, taken ill at sea; sick or hurt, scurvy; put on sick list 1 September 1831, discharged 6 September 1831. Folio 15: case no. 29, John Guthree, aged 26, convict, taken ill at sea; sick or hurt, scorbutic diarrhoea; put on sick list 1 September 1831, discharged 7 September 1831. Folio 18: case no. 30, Patrick McCarthy, aged 13, convict, taken ill at sea; sick or hurt, pleuritis, headache, pain in the chest and cough; put on sick list 10 October 1831, discharged 14 October 1831. Folios 18-19: case no. 31, Private J. Byway, aged 35, [private 4th regt.?], taken ill at sea; sick or hurt, synocha, headache, pain across his loins and all his joints; put on sick list 21 October 1831, discharged 24 October 1831 to duty. Folio 19: case no. 32, James Mulcourey, aged 58, [convict?], taken ill at sea; sick or hurt, spasmodic affection of the [asophagous]; put on sick list 24 October 1831, discharged 4 November 1831. Folios 20-21: case no. 33, John Noonan, aged 17, convict, taken ill at sea; sick or hurt, pneumonia; put on sick list 2 November 1831, sent 11 November 1831 to hospital.

Folio 21: numerical abstract of cases mentioned in the journal, nosologically arranged.

Folios 22-23: Surgeon's general remarks. On 21 April [1831] 130 male prisoners embarked in the June from the convict hulk Surprize, Cove of Cork, and on 12 September [1831] five embarked at the Cape of Good Hope. Although the ship was six months and some days on the passage to New South Wales, seven weeks of which, she was detained in the Tropics, we remained generally speaking healthy on oard being all the time free from contagious diseases. The ship's surgeon [Oliver Sproule] regarded the cause of scurvy to be the want of exercise, and he also found that the 'solution of nitre' was a most efficient remedy and perfectly agreed with the opinion of Mr D Patterson, surgeon of Royal Navy, that 'scurvy may be cured at sea without the assistance of recent vegetable matter'.

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Army

Australia and Pacific

Disease

Navy

Medicine

Armed Forces (General Administration)