Catalogue description Folio 21: Mr Raymond, aged 22, midshipman; disease or hurt, received a slight wound in...

Folio 21: Mr Raymond, aged 22, midshipman; disease or hurt, received a slight wound in the forearm from a piece of grape shot. Put on sick list, 1 June 1813. Discharged to duty.

Folio 21: Thomas Harris, aged 33, private, marine; disease or hurt, received a wound on the left eye brow from a splinter. It caused considerable laceration. Put on sick list, 1 June 1813. Discharged 6 June 1813 to duty.

Folio 21: John Welcomb, aged 28, landsman; disease or hurt, got the right eye slightly hurt by splinters in the action but did not apply until the 12th day after receiving the injury, at which time the inflammation ran high and the greater part of the cornea covered with specks. Put on sick list, 1 June 1813. Discharged 17 June 1813 to Halifax Hospital.

Folio 21: Patrick Ferreter, aged 22, landsman; disease or hurt, received a blow from the recoil of a gun on the main deck in the action which threw him down and luxated the left humerus. He did not make it known until long afterwards. He was then sent to the hospital. Before he went every attempt to reduce it was made but without effect, from its having been so long displaced. He assigned as a reason for not applying at the time of the injury, that he did not wish to be on the sick list, whilst he was able to do anything, at a time we were so short of hands, as after an action, and having another frigate in charge, add to this that the man could not make himself understood readily being able to speak only his native Irish and not at all acquainted with the customs of the service having served in it only two days prior to the action. Put on sick list, 1 June 1813. Discharged 3 July 1813 to Halifax Hospital.

Folio 22: General remarks on the preceding cases of gunshot wounds received in action with US Frigate Chesapeake. In the above statements, accuracy of description has been attended to, although, from the hurry of business which followed the action, brevity of description was unavoidable. In the treatment of the cases, it may be observed, that such as required operations had them immediately performed, at least, as soon as the action was over, which lasted but a few minutes. The other cases not requiring the aid of the knife, had simple dressings applied and saturnine lotions over all: an opiate given immediately, and repeated every night at bedtime; attention was also had to the state of the bowels. About the 4th and 5th days, when the discharge began to show itself considerable, and a line of separation to show itself between the living and the dead parts, poultices were applied, and renewed frequently. The cases of simple incised wounds from the sabre, healed by the first intention, except in Captain Broke, but there the cranium was cut through to some extent. Splinter wounds had poultices applied to them where the situation of the part did not prevent, in which case, simple dressings were applied. In contused wounds, or cases of concussion, bloodletting and purging were freely had recourse to. The above wounds were inflicted on the 1st June 1813 and by far the greater number of those sent to hospital; went on the afternoon of the 6th June. The slighter cases were cured on board.

Folio 22: John Morrisay, aged 35, armourer; disease or hurt, whilst at work in the smiths shop at the ordinance yard, Halifax, on the ship's duty, he received a wound on the middle and forepart of the left thigh from the accidental discharge of a musket. Put on sick list, 23 June 1813. Discharged to Halifax Hospital.

Folio 22: John Grindley, aged 40, trumpeter; disease or hurt, much subject to rephritic complaints for years pat. Complains of pain in the loins striking down to the testicles and thighs. Put on sick list, 4 July 1813. Discharged 6 July 1813 to Halifax Hospital.

Folio 22: James Fish, aged 25, able seaman; disease or hurt, complains of severe headache and pains in the loins and lower extremities. Put on sick list, 30 June 1813. Discharged 3 July 1813 to Halifax Hospital.

Folios 22-23: William Minden, aged 37, able seaman; disease or hurt, whilst employed removing the [?] yard from the ship to the Navy Yard, Halifax, by an accident he got a most violent contusion on the left side of the chest by the purchase cart falling on him. Put on sick list, 9 July 1813. Discharged 12 July 1813 to Halifax Hospital.

Folio 23: James French, aged 26, ordinary seaman; disease or hurt, severe pain in the chest aggravated on respiration. Put on sick list, 17 July 1813. Discharged 23 July 1813 to duty.

Folio 23: John Witty, aged 32, ordinary seaman; disease or hurt, for the last four days has been on leave on shore where I suspect him to have been drinking very freely, complains of vertigo and headache. Put on sick list, 22 July 1813. Discharged 24 July 1813 to Halifax Hospital.

Folio 23: Patrick Murphy, aged 27, ordinary seaman; disease or hurt, complains of headache, pains in the loins and limbs, thirst, nausea and sickness at stomach. Put on sick list, 27 July 1813. Case continued in next journal.

Folio 23: Joseph Pate, aged 36, private, marine; disease or hurt, from exposure to the burning sun of a Halifax summer. He has got both his feet and ankles sun burnt. They are swelled, red, very painful and blistered in some places. Let olive oil be frequently applied. Put on sick list, 28 July 1813. Case continued in next journal.

Folio 23: Thomas Griffith, aged 30, landsman; disease or hurt, for several days has been indisposed by headache and nausea, an eruption is now making its appearance over the whole body, of broad irregular spots. Put on sick list, 28 July 1813. Case continued in next journal.

Folio 24: numerical abstract of the medical cases mentioned in the journal.

Folios 24-25: Surgeon's general remarks. In the above [numerical] abstract the number of wounded appears great, but many received in action. List of pulmonary cases also considerable caused by the extremes of temperature in the atmosphere we have been subject to. HMS Shannon's movements: August-November 1812, cruising between the American coast, and grand bank of Newfoundland, between latitude 460 and 380 N. Occasionally going into Halifax for water and provisions; December 1812-February 1813, left Halifax early in December. Took a cruise round by the western Islands and Bermuda. Arrived in Halifax the latter end of February; March 1813, in Halifax Harbour; April-May 1813, cruising off Boston; 1st June 1813, action with U.S. frigate Chesapeake; 6 June 1813 arrived in Halifax Harbour and remained there; July 1813 in Halifax Harbour. Taking every thing into consideration the ships company has been very healthy, yet her decks and topsides are very leaky, and the ship much in want of repairs. What tended very much to save the men during the severe weather in Halifax was their not being allowed to work at these times, whereby many of the complaints usually brought on by extreme cold, wet, or sudden changes, were prevented. But perhaps what most conduced towards the general health of the crew is the constant practice in the ship of bringing down hanging stoves between decks and keeping them there till late in the afternoon.