Medical and surgical journal of Her Majesty's Sloop Dido for 12 September 1851 to...

ADM 101/96/4

1851-1852

Medical and surgical journal of Her Majesty's Sloop Dido for 12 September 1851 to 15 December 1852 by Evan Evans, Surgeon, during which time the said sloop was employed in England and the Pacific Station. Includes an account of a visit to Picton Island in search of the Patagonian Mission, and the discovery of the bodies.

Folios 1-8: Copy of the Sick Book.

Folio 9: John Lawson, aged 20, private marine; case number 1; disease or hurt, psora. Put on sick list, 12 September 1851 at Sheerness. Discharged 13 September 1851 to Melville Hospital.

Folio 9: Henry Bennett, aged 19, Boy 1st Class; case number 2; disease or hurt, syphilis. Put on sick list, 30 October 1851 at Plymouth. Discharged 30 October 1851 to Stonehouse Hospital.

Folios 9-10: Charles Newing, aged 28, able seaman (has served in the Brazils and East Indies, and was lat in the North Star in the Arctic Regions); case number 3; disease or hurt, abscess on left axilla. Put on sick list, 16 November 1851 at sea. Discharged 14 February 1852 to sick quarters at Valparaiso.

Folios 10-11: William Lillicrap, aged 22, carpenter's crew (never been at sea before); case number 4; disease or hurt, sea sickness and debility. Put on sick list, 25 October 1851 on passage from Sheerness to Plymouth. Discharged 29 October 1851. Put on sick list, 31 October 1851 in the passage from Plymouth to Rio and discharged to duty, 16 November 1851. Put on sick list again on 17 November 1851 during the same passage and invalided at Rio on 9 December 1851 and discharged to HMS Gorgon for passage to England on 13 December 1851.

Folios 11-12: Philip Downs, aged 27, private, marine; case number 5; disease or hurt, periostitis (syphilitic). Various times placed on the sick list. First instance 8 October 1851 at Sheerness, finally being discharged 26 February 1852 at Valparaiso.

Folios 12-13: Charles Hawkins, aged 32, sick berth attendent (previously a clerk on shore, never had been to sea); case number 6; disease or hurt, syphilis tertiary. Put on sick list, 7 August 1852 on passage from Tahiti to Rio Janiero. Discharged 4 November 1852 to Stonehouse Hospital.

Folios 13-14: Sheduc T West, aged 49, boatswain's mate (a pensioner-was invalided in 1846 from the Terrible in the Mediterranean for an injury he received from a capstan bar striking him in the hypogastrium); case number 7; disease or hurt, stricture of the urethra. Put on sick list, 29 November 1851 at sea. Discharged 18 December 1851 to duty. Again on 27 August 1852 on passage to Rio from Tahiti and discharged to Plymouth Hospital on 4 November 1852.

Folio 14: William Morgan, aged 54, quartermaster (an old man has served more than 20 years); case number 8; disease or hurt, chronic rheumatism. Entered on the sick list several times. First entered 20 July 1852, finally discharged 4 November 1852 to Stonehouse Hospital.

Folio 14: Edward Booty, aged 27, able seaman; case number 9; disease or hurt, scorbutus. Put on sick list, 13 September 1852 on the passage from Rio to England. Discharged 30 September 1852 well to duty.

Folio 15: Pascoe S Marks, aged 18, Boy 1st Class; case number 10; disease or hurt, contusio in the area of the left hip. Put on sick list, 25 October 1852 on the passage from Rio to Plymouth. Discharged 29 November 1852 well to Stonehouse Hospital.

Folios 15-17: Valentine G Roberts, aged 37, master (has served 16 years on the West Coast of Africa); case number 11; disease or hurt, cephalagia. Various times on the sick list. First instance on 9 May 1852. Finally discharged 4 November 1852 to Stonehouse Hospital.

Folio 17: Daniel Isaacson, aged 31, private; case number 12; disease or hurt, fractura of right fibula as a result of slipping down a ladder while intoxicated. Put on sick list, 15 November 1852 at Devonport. Discharged 15 November 1852 to Stonehouse Hospital.

Folio 17: George Rich, aged 54, carpenter's mate; case number 13; disease or hurt, rheumatism. Put on sick list, 13 November 1852 at Devonport. Discharged 13 November 1852 to Stonehouse Hospital.

Folios 17-18: Henry Butler, aged 25, private marine; case number 14; disease or hurt, catarrhus. Put on sick list, 18 November 1852 at Devonport. Discharged 30 November 1852 to Stonehouse Hospital.

Folios 18-19: T L Gassen, aged 33, lieutenant; case number 15; disease or hurt, tumor. Put on sick list, 15 September 1852. Discharged 2 December 1852 to Stonehouse Hospital.

Folio 18: T L Gassen, aged 33, lieutenant; case number 15; disease or hurt, tumor. Put on sick list, 15 September 1852. Discharged 2 December 1852 to Stonehouse Hospital.

Folio 19: William Denham, aged 30, carpenter's crew; case number 16; disease or hurt, vulnus. Put on sick list, 14 October 1852. Discharged 25 November 1852.

Folio 19: Evan Evans, aged 31, Surgeon; case number 17; disease or hurt, febris intermittent. Put on sick list, 30 November 1852 at Devonport. Discharged 15 December 1852 invalided.

Folio 19: A nosological synopsis of the sick book.

Folio 20: A list of men who have received wounds or hurts, during the period of the journal. William Denham, Pascoe S. Marks, and Daniel Isaacson.

Folios 20-24: Surgeon's general remarks. HMS Dido was commissioned at Sheerness on 2 September 1851 with a complement of 175 officers and men. She was very indifferently manned, four of the carpenter's crew, the armourer, the sailmaker, a caulker and 14 first class boys, in addition to all the second class boys had never been at sea before (folio 20); remarks about the weather and passage to Picton Island (folio 20); at Picton Island traces of unfortunate missionaries were found (folios 20-21); in the Spaniard harbour in Aguire Bay on the mainland was found the unburied body of Commander Gardiner, RN, the chief of the Patagonian mission lying on the beach. Nearby in a cave was found the body presumed to be of Mr Maidment, further up the harbour were found two more bodies probably those of Mr Williams the Surgeon and John Pearce, a Cornish fisherman, (folio 21); there follows further remarks about the passage home and about the medical cases treated on board.

Folio 24: A return showing the amount of sickness in HMS Dido for 31 October 1851 to 30 October 1852 arranged nosologically.

Folio 25: A return showing mean number of each rank bourne during the year beginning 31 October 1851.

Public Record(s)

Open Document, Open Description

Topics

Asia

Australia and Pacific

Polar

Disease

Navy

Fishing

Armed Forces (General Administration)