Medical and surgical journal of His Majesty's convict ship Marquis of Huntly for...

ADM 101/50/9

1830

Medical and surgical journal of His Majesty's convict ship Marquis of Huntly for 11 March to 2 September 1830 by William B Carlyle, Surgeon Superintendent, during which time the said ship was employed in transporting convicts to New South Wales.

Folios 1-2: John Barney, aged 23, Convict; disease or hurt, diarrhoea. Put on sick list, 3 April 1830, Sheerness. Discharged, 11 April 1830.

Folio 3: James Casey, aged 18, Convict; disease or hurt, diarrhoea. Put on sick list, 7 April 1830, Sheerness. Discharged, 12 April 1830. Complained of diarrhoea, headache and a sense of soreness all over his body. Had been two days griping and straining but the headache only came on the previous day.

Folio 4: Dan [Daniel] McLeod, aged 19, Convict; disease or hurt, lues venerea. Put on sick list, 14 April 1830, in the channel. Discharged, 5 May 1830. Two chancres on the prepuce about the size of a sixpence each, the result of an impure connection with a woman who came to visit him on the hulk. There were three other similar cases about the same time.

Folios 4-5: George [Spowage], aged 18, [capacity not recorded]; disease or hurt, opthalmia. Put on sick list, 7 June 1830. Discharged, 30 June 1830.

Folios 6-8: John Bond, aged 17, Convict; disease or hurt, ulcers. Put on sick list, 9 June 1830. Discharged, [25 July] 1830. A pale thin looking lad, at the time of embarkation he had a clean circular granulating sore about the anterior and middle of the left tibia. It was nearly healed when he struck it against the steps of the ladder, whereupon it swelled to twice its original size, with dark sloughing, irregular edges, ichorous fetid discharge and erythemalic inflammation of two thirds of the leg. Also nausea and a pain in the middle of his forehead.

Folios 8-12: Benjamin [Gullois], aged 25, [capacity not recorded]; disease or hurt, hepatitis. Put on sick list, 28 June 1830. Landed at Sydney in perfect health, 2 September 1830. A stout muscular young man of a sallow complexion, complaining of headache, with frequent nausea and sickness at stomach.

Folios 12-13: John Brotherton, aged 40, Private of the 17th Regiment; disease or hurt, transverse fracture of the left femur, from a fall upon the combings of the hatchway occasioned by the rolling of the ship. Put on sick list, 15 July 1830. Landed at Sydney, 22 August 1830, the bones firmly united but the toes turning outwards. There was apparently no displacement in the bones so they were secured in their place by splints.

Folios 14-17: Edward Cooper, aged 23, Convict; disease or hurt, hectic. Put on sick list, 25 July 1830. Died, 8 August 1830. A thin, consumptive looking lad with great relaxation and wasting of the muscles. Complained of a pain in the sinciput [forehead], a dry husky cough, hurried respiration, slight flitting pains throughout his chest and a feeling of tenderness all over the abdomen when pressed upon. Pulse 104, small and with a slightly corded feel, skin warm and dry, considerable thirst and tolerably good appetite. He had recently recovered from an intermittent fever on board the hulk. Signed, William B Carlyle

Folio 17: Abstract of the preceding journal, being a summary of all the cases contained therein, nosologically arranged.

Folios 18-19: Surgeon's general remarks. On 19 March 1830 the military guard, 'consisting in all of 51 souls', embarked at Deptford. On 27 and 29 March 1830, 228 convicts were embarked at Sheerness. Sailed on 9 April but were driven in to Spithead on 20 April, resuming their journey 27 April 1830. Of the transports received from Chatham, 15 were found to have 'various sores and hurts upon them', the Surgeon had had no opportunity to examine them before embarkation. There were several cases of diarrhoea from change of diet early in the voyage. The 2 cases given are typical examples. On 22 May 1823 one of the convicts was found to have spongy gums and a livid complexion, indicating scurvy, and was immediately given lime juice which in 12 days restored his health. The same treatment was equally successful with other cases later in the voyage. There were several slight cases of illness but all the important cases are detailed in the journal. The Surgeon had the satisfaction of landing the guards and all the convicts, except Edward Cooper, in perfect health on 2 September 1830 Signed, William B Carlyle, Surgeon Superintendent.

Public Record(s)

Open Document, Open Description

Topics

Shipping

Army

Australia and Pacific

Disease

Navy

Armed Forces (General Administration)