Medical journal of HMS Doris for 1 January to 31 December 1867 by C J Fennell, Assistant...

Medical journal of HMS Doris for 1 January to 31 December 1867 by C J Fennell, Assistant Surgeon, during which time the said ship was employed on the North American and West Indies stations. This journal was kept in diary form and contains daily weather readings in monthly tables along with details of the ship's movements.

Folio 1: Instructions to Assistant Surgeons for compiling a medical journal.

Folio 3: General record for January [1867]. All cases of yellow fever at Port Royal had proved fatal. Description of Belize town and a comment that it had only 'two medical men'.

Folio 4: General record for February [1867]. HMS Doris sent to the assistance of a French transport at Bare Bush Cay. One man named Ellis was struck by a block on the right side. On 27 February, HMS Doris arrived at Carthagena which the Surgeon states is 'situated on a swamp and the anchorage is completely surrounded by mangroves'. Only two men were sent to hospital both cases of syphilis. Yellow fever still hangs about Port Royal Hospital.

Folio 7: General record for May [1867]. At the commencement of May the ship was at Halifax, but shortly afterwards conveyed a number of troops to Bermuda, and from Bermuda to Halifax again. On the way, one man belonging to the Royal Artillery attempted to commit suicide by cutting his throat, whilst suffering from Delirium Tremens, but was fortunately unsuccessful. On 17 May two days after our arrival at Halifax, James Barnett 'a coloured man' died. Details of post mortem are included.

Folio 8: General record for June [1867]. Reports death of the Deputy Inspector Dr [Duire?] of yellow fever.

Folio 9: General record for July [1867]. Reports that the town of Basseterre in the Island of St Kitts had been totally destroyed by fire. HMS Doris was accordingly despatched there and remained at anchor till [?] away by a passing storm. Thomas Duckham on examination was found to have tubercele.

Folio 10: General record for August [1867]. While in Barbados there occurred a large number of cases of dyspepsia. Isaac Gorman, leading seaman, aged 26, was invalided.

Folio 11: General record for September [1867]. A large number of men broke their leave arrangements and in consequence several were sent to Gaol.

Folio 12: General record for October [1867]. Three men invalided to England by the mail steamer from Barbados on 26 October: Benjamin Hough, private, Royal Marine, suffering from syphilitic rheumatism; Charles Peck, able seaman, ulcer on the leg and heart disease; Isaac Gorman, able seaman, who complained continuously of frontal headache. All these men together with Dr Henry Arnot, late Surgeon of HMS Doris were drowned on 29 October in the wreck of RM Steamer Rhone during a hurricane. Whilst at Tobago Captain Verey was seized with some alarming symptoms of severe pain over the region of the heart.

Folio 12: General record for November [1867]. At the commencement of the month the ship was at Antigua but intelligence being brought of a fearful hurricane which had passed over some of the Virgin Islands, we proceeded to Tortola. St Thomas, Virgin Gorda and Salt Islands were nearly razed to the ground and at St Thomas a very fatal form of fever was raging. On enquiry on shore we were informed that there was very little yellow fever but a fever of a worse kind named 'Chagres' fever brought I presume by the Intercolonial mails from the Spanish main. Death was said to result in about 8 hours. The town was in a fearful state so many dead lay about under the ruins of fallen homes that the stench was abominable and the same state of things existed in the harbour where every vessel suffered more or less from the hurricane. I have every reason to believe that Captain Vesey here contracted the fever which ultimately ended in his being invalided. Eight men invalided, seven of them had contracted fever at Grenada, and another a case of rheumatism.

Folio 12: General record for December [1867]. Captain Vesey surveyed and recommended to be sent to England. In Bermuda all chronic cases were sent into hospital including an Engineer who was placed on the sick list for gonorrhoea but who was later found to have secondary syphilis.

Folios 15-17: Surgeon's general remarks.

Folios 18-20: Tables 1-2: List of all cases occurring between the date of the Medical Officer's taking charge and 31st December of the same year. Mean Numerical strength of the ship's company, 500.

Topics

Shipping

Army

Caribbean

Race relations

Disease

Navy

Americas

Diaries

Medicine

Armed Forces (General Administration)