Journal by William Henry Putsey, Assistant Surgeon,of Her Majesty's Marine Battalion...

Journal by William Henry Putsey, Assistant Surgeon,of Her Majesty's Marine Battalion for 1 January 1872 to 31 December 1872 in Japan. (Described at item level). (Includes photographs of the camp).

4 photographs from this piece have been extracted to CN 1/15.

Folio 1: A table showing the 'Mean height of the thermometer in the shade' monthly from November 1870, on passage from Plymouth to Port Said, to December 1871, at camp in Yokohama. With remarks.

Folio 2: Four contact prints from original photographs [extracted to CN 1/15], captioned, 'Huts in the South Camp at present occupied by the Battalion. The low building in the foreground is used as stables', 'The parade ground at South Camp. Huts on the left unoccupied. They were damaged by a typhoon.’, 'The above photographs show some of the huts in the North Camp. They are not inhabited, as they were rendered unserviceable by the typhoon of the 24 August 1871'.

Folio 3: Alphabetical Sick List. Only the first page is present, listing William Anderson to John Barnard only.

Folio 3: Printed instructions to Assistant Surgeons on completing journals.

Folio 4: Blank.

Folios 5-6: Meteorological tables for the months January to December [1872?], recording minimum, maximum and 'Mid' temperatures and 'Remarks' for each day.

Folios 7-19: General record for the year 1872. Because of the healthy nature of the station there is very little to record, there have been no serious illnesses, the most common being catarrhs, phlegmon, venereal affections, diarrhoea and rheumatism. There were a great many venereal cases and many more were not entered on the list. Secondary symptoms were numerous and treatment is discussed briefly. The regulation of prostitution and the 'apprenticeship' of prostitutes in the 'Yoshiwara' district, and the new regulations which released women into the city, are discussed, and the rise in venereal disease since. Folio 8 relates a court case involving a Chinese indentured labourer who escaped from a Peruvian ship, the Maria Luz, and alleged that he had been ill treated and kidnapped. The Master of the ship engaged Mr F V Dickins (a former Royal Navy Assistant Surgeon) as barrister who contested the claims and put forward that slavery was countenanced by the Japanese Government in the trafficking of young girls for prostitution. The Japanese authorities upheld the complaint of the escaped indentured labourer, detained the ship and released the indentured labourers. They then reformed their own laws regulating prostitution. Folio 9 describes the rebuilding of the North and South camps following the typhoon in 1871. Folios 9-11 describe the 'casualties for the year'. Folio 9-10: Ross Holmes, aged 34, Captain; disease or hurt, cirrhosis. Put on sick list, 6 February 1872. Invalided, 18 February 1872, and sent home by Mail Steamer. He admitted to drinking freely for years, as much as a bottle of gin a day, and had suffered syphilis more than once. Folio 10: William Corfield, aged 45, Private; disease or hurt, pain in the precordial region, palpitations, cough and dyspnoea. Put on sick list, 9 December 1871. Invalided, no date given. He had been a soldier for 29 years, a sergeant in the 23rd Regiment for several years, and had served in three campaigns. He was of dissipated habits and bore an indifferent character. Folios 10-11: William [Yarr], aged 39, Private; disease or hurt, death by drowning, 1 July 1872. An inquest was held at which it was heard that he had been seen entering a house in the Yoshiwara district at 7pm, seen at midnight crossing a bridge by a policeman who shortly afterwards heard him falling in and ran to fetch help. It was believed he had been drinking and had fallen asleep and in hurrying back to the camp fell off the bridge. 'Several deaths have occurred in this way during the last two years; and complaints have been made to the Municipal Director about the insufficiency of the bridges'. Folio 11: Robert Styles; disease or hurt, fracture of both bones of the left fore arm while practising the high jump for the garrison sports. No dates recorded. Folios 11-16 describe the parts of Japan visited by Assistant Surgeon Putsey on a 15 day walking tour, describes; Silk worm farming in 'the Mulberry District', the village of 'Meyonachi', a Shinto shrine, Mount Oyama, Japanese fig trees, 'Saka Moto', 'Mayonoshta' [Miyanoshita], hot springs, Hakone, 'Odowana' castle ( the treaty boundary), Inosima [Enoshima]. Folios 16-19 describe a visit to 'Fujiyama' [Mount Fuji] and give barometer and thermometer readings at various points in the ascent and descent, with on folio 18, measurements of the height of Fujiyama taken by Lieutenant Fagan Royal Marine Light Infantry, measured at 13,080.32 feet. The surgeon casts doubt on the American claim that earthquakes had caused the mountain to sink since their expedition measured it at 16,400 feet in 1854. A brief history of the mountain is given. Folio 19 lists the principal exports of Japan.

Folio 20: Table I, not completed.

Folio 21: Table II, all cases for the period 1 January 1872 to 31 December 1872. Average numerical strength of the Marine Battalion 306.

Folio 22: Table III, Alphabetical list of officers and men sent to hospital, invalided or dead during the period of this return. Lists Corfield, Holmes and Yarr.

4 photographs, extracted to

CN 1/15

Topics

Art, architecture and design

Clothing

Labour

Army

Trade and commerce

Asia

Treaties and alliances

Slavery

Population

Children

Disease

Food and drink

Navy

Crime

Forestry

Armed Forces (General Administration)

Sex and gender

Sports