Medical journal of HMS Bristol , from 13 June to 31 December 1869 by Alexander Rattray,...

ADM 101/260

1869 June-Dec

Medical journal of HMS Bristol, from 13 June to 31 December 1869 by Alexander Rattray, Surgeon, during which time the said ship was employed in the Home Station on particular service.

Folio 1: Printed instructions on completing the nosological tables, recording where a patient was taken ill, dividing the General Remarks into three sections relating to the ship and crew, her movements and places visited and a consideration of the diseases.

Folio 2: case no 1, Mr William Wilson, aged 20, Lieutenant; sick or hurt, rheumatism, suffered from a recent attack of gonorrhoea, complicated with paraphymosis; put on sick list, 19 June 1869, sent 16 September 1869 to Hospital at Plymouth.

Folios 2-3: case no 2, John Goss, aged 25, Private Marine; sick or hurt, syphilis (primary), an old chancre on the penis - contracted at Plymouth and a large non-fluctuating bubo in groin; put on sick list, 6 July 1869, discharged 4 August 1869 to HMS Phoebe.

Folio 3: case no 3, William Turner, aged 17, Boy 1st Class; sick or hurt, rheumatic arthritis, according to the surgeon, this patient was sent from this ship in February last to RN Hospital, Plymouth, suffering from the disease. On 14 July his left knee joint much distended by fluid and he complained of dull aching pain when he used lt. There was considerable pain on pressure around the margin of the patella; put on sick list, 15 July 1869, sent 16 September 1869 to Hospital at Plymouth.

Folio 3: case no 4, James Willcox, aged 46, Leading Stoker; sick or hurt, rheumatism, complained of pain in limbs and back, right arm painful from shoulder to hand. Sensation and motion impaired in right hand and wrist; put on sick list, 29 July 1869, sent 16 September 1869 to Hospital at Plymouth.

Folios 3-4: case no 5, James Whittaker, aged 16, Boy 1st Class (Supernumerary); sick or hurt, opacity of cornea and ptosis, laboured under ptosis of right eyelid and opacity on the cornea of the same eye, resulted from an injury received about 10 months ago when he accidentally came against the hook at the end of his mess table which caused the laceration of the cornea and lid; put on sick list, 3 August 1869, invalided 4 August 1869 to return to England, sent 16 September 1869 to Royal Naval Hospital at Plymouth.

Folio 4: case no 6, Hugh Cribbes, aged 25, Able Seaman; sick or hurt, phthisis, according to the surgeon this patient's illness dated from the early part of 1868 when he first complained of dyspneoa with dry cough, slight hemoptysis, night sweat and loss of flesh, and about this time he contracted syphilis followed by a slight arrack of secondaries. Since then he was frequently on the list with symptoms of local pleurisy and dyspepsia. He was employed as main deck sweeper and excused from going aloft and all active duty on deck; put on sick list, 18 August 1869, sent 16 September 1869 to Hospital at Plymouth.

Folio 4: case no 7, John Brady, aged 29, Private Marine; sick or hurt, rheumatism; put on sick list, 19 August 1869, sent 16 September 1869 to Royal Naval Hospital at Plymouth.

Folio 5: case no 8, John Williams, aged 31, Sailmaker's Crew; sick or hurt, phlegmon (sternum); put on sick list, 2 September 1869, sent 16 September 1869 to Royal Naval Hospital at Plymouth.

Folio 5: case no 9, Edgar Honeysett, aged 19, Ordinary Seaman; sick or hurt, syphilis (secondary); put on sick list, 13 September 1869, sent 16 September 1869 to Royal Naval Hospital at Plymouth.

Folio 5: case no 10, Henry Gibbons, aged 22, Able Seaman; sick or hurt, fracture (simple) (lower jaw), while at work at one of the large dockyard cranes, the handle spinning round, struck him with great force on the left side of his face; put on sick list, 2 October 1869, sent 3 October 1869 to Royal Naval Hospital at Plymouth.

Folio 5: case no 11, Mr Jelinger Symons, aged 35, Captain Marine; sick or hurt, hepatic derangement, he was 24 days on the list for bilious vomiting and hepatic derangement, with occasional functional palpitation of the heart resulted from exposure to tropical weather. He was never strong since a protracted attack of low typhoid fever in 1861 during the passage from Callao to Vancouver; put on sick list, 1 December 1869, sent 6 December 1869 to Hospital at Bermuda.

Folios 5-6: case no 12, John Briggs, aged 17, Boy 1st Class; sick or hurt, concussion of brain, he was employed on the mizen top sail yard, lost his hold and fell to the deck a height of 50 or 60 feet alighted on the right side of his face and chest, according to the surgeon, the patient never spoke or appeared sensible afterwards and died in about 10 minutes from concussion of the brain; put on sick list, 4 December 1869, died 4 December 1869, the autopsy made 3 hours after death.

Folios 7-30: Blank.

Folio 31: Table of the ship's movements between 18 June 1869 and 11 January 1870, 1st voyage, from Plymouth to Barbadoes, 2nd voyage from Barbadoes to Plymouth.

Folio 32: Tables of medical statistics of cases mentioned in the journal between the period 13 June and 31 December 1869.

Folio 33: Blank.

Folios 34-52: Surgeon's general remarks,. He superseded Surgeon Ahmuty Irwin on 13 June 1869. The ship was specially commissioned as a cadet training ship, with a view to combine school with practical seamanship, gunnery &c. During the period of this journal the ship had made two voyages, the first to Bahia (with the flying squadron), the second to the West Indies (Barbadoes, Trinidad, Martinique, St Lucia and Bermuda) [included within this folio is a map showing the track movements of HMS Bristol]. The surgeon remarks on the supply of water to the ship and a suggestion for the improvement of filters tank [including a sketch of a 200 gallon filter tank]. Also included is a sketch under microscope showing diatoms, animal and vegetable debries found in water taken on board at Bahia. The surgeon also mentions the physiological changes induced by change of climate [included is a table showing the effect of tropical weather on the capacity of the chest].

Folios 55-61: Copy of the sick list.

Folio 62: Blank.

131

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