Catalogue description Folio 41: case no 44, William H Bridge, aged 45, Lieutenant; taken ill at Malta; sick or...

Folio 41: case no 44, William H Bridge, aged 45, Lieutenant; taken ill at Malta; sick or hurt, hemorrhage from the bowels connected with disease of liver, return of his old complained which detailed in case no 18; put on sick list 2 March 1852, discharged 6 April 1852 to duty.

Folios 42-43: case no 45, Edward Blow, aged 19, Boy 1st Class; taken ill at Sea; sick or hurt, phthisis, of a delicate constitution & phthisical tendency, marked by clear skin and large lips with blue eyes & dilated pipils - narrow and long neck also long delicate fingers with bent nails. Stated that he had cough and felt unwell for some time; put on sick list 4 March 1852, invalided 5 April 1852 at Gibraltar and return to England in HMS Hercules.

Folio 43: case no 46, James McLean, aged 43, Carpenter’s Crew; taken ill at Gibraltar; sick or hurt, epilepsy, this man was confined in the cells for 6 days and was found in a state of insensibility and collapse, received a blow on his head 10 years ago and had fits several times since as stated by Officers and men who were with him on his former ship 'Powerful' & 'Wellesley'; put on sick list 14 March 1852, invalided 5 April 1852 at Gibraltar and return to England in HMS Hercules.

Folio 44: case no 47, Edward Price, aged 33, Marine; taken ill at Gibraltar; sick or hurt, phthisis with hemoptysis, stated that he had a very troublesome cough for the last six months; put on sick list 21 April 1852, invalided 5 April 1852 at Port Mahon and return to Malta in HMS Fury.

Folio 45: case no 48, Henry Matthews, aged 31, Marine; taken ill at Gibraltar; sick or hurt, disease of heart and anasarca, this man was 15 years in the service and served on the Pacific and South American Stations. Had a severe attack of rheumatism about 3 years ago, he also had a cold and dry cough ever since October; put on sick list 28 April 1852, invalided 20 May 1852.

Folio 46: case no 49, Michael Collins, aged 30, Able Seaman; taken ill at Sea; sick or hurt, rheumatism with disease of heart; put on sick list 12 May 1852, invalided 20 May 1852.

Folios 46-49: case no 50, George Powley, aged 18, Naval Apprentice; taken ill at Sea; sick or hurt, fracture of base of skull with concussion of brain, whilst going aloft to the mast head fell from the main futtock rigging to the quarter deck (60 feet) and struck the edge of the mainsail, according to those who saw stated that the left side of his head & body struck the deck; put on sick list 6 June 1852, remained 30 June 1852 on the list.

Folio 49: case no 51, James Baskerville, aged 46, Able Seaman; taken ill at Sea; sick or hurt, disease of heart, whilst at work in the main top fainted but recovered and fainted again in the futtock rigging, when he was brought into the sick bay he was in a perfect state of collapse, lips blue, surface cold & imperceptible pulse at the wrist; put on sick list 21 June 1852, died 21 June 1852 the surgeon that there was a deposit of lymph in the mitral and aortic valves, the heart was weak, flabby and distended with fluid blood. The liver was much congested.

Folio 50: case no 52, Benjamin Bond, aged 20, Ordinary Seaman; taken ill at Sea; sick or hurt, inguinal and femoral hernia of right side; put on sick list 25 June 1852, remained 30 June 1852 on the list.

Folio 50: case no 53, John Chitty, aged 29, Marine; taken ill at Gibraltar; sick or hurt, severe contusion of left leg and foot, whilst employed on lower deck in bringing the ship to an anchor, a hook rope caught his left leg and dragging him violently along the deck; put on sick list 28 June 1852, remained 30 June 1852 on the list.

Folio 51: nosological return of cases mentioned in the journal.

Folio 52: List of five men who received wounds or hurts during the period of this journal. William Carlan, no on the ship’s book 163, aged 22, Marine; pension gratned on 26 August 1851; nature of hurts, fracture of right calvicle on 26 August 1851. William Sheath, no on the ship’s book 115, aged 31, 2nd Captain of Fore Castle; pension not gratned; nature of hurts, received a wound over the left parietal bone on 21 August 1851. James Wood, no on the ship’s book 23, aged 16, 2nd Class Boy; pension not gratned; nature of hurts, fell whilst descending with an empty bucket from main to lower deck on 22 September 1851: John Matthews, no on the ship’s book 135, aged 22, Marine; pension not gratned; nature of hurts, received a scalp wound of 2 ½ inches in extent whilst at the wheel on 30 September 1851. George Johnson, no on the ship’s book 480, aged 27, Able Seaman; pension not gratned; nature of hurts, had the great & second toes of right foot jammed whilst hoisting dingy boat on 2 October 1851.

Folio 52: the surgeon’s note, stated that he was unable to make up table 3 on the 31 December last in consequence of just receiving this journal.

Folios 53-53: Tables of medical statistic covered the period between 17 July 1851 and 30 June 1852.

Folios 54-57: Surgeon's general remarks. The Vengeance sailed from Spithead on 31 August 1851 with a complement of 750 Officers and men. The Surgeon stated that the greater portion of the latter were merchant seamen raised from London, Liverpool and other sea ports and only joined a few days before the ship sailed. During the period of this journal the ship was employed in cruizing between Malta, Alexandria and Gibraltar. The surgeon stated his concern about the health of the men, namely the ventilation of the ship as he mentioned that 196 people sleep in the orlop deck which included the after and fore cockpits and store room and when the ship was at sea all scuttles were closed generally in the day and always at night, in which the atmosphere became densely vitiated. He also mentioned that the cells in this ship were far too small for human beings, each cell (4 in number) was 4 feet long, 4 broad and 6 high which can only allow the prisoner to breath in 96 cubic feet of air which can be exhausted in less than one hour. He stated that he intended to write to the Captain of his opinion on the matter. He also mentioned that whilst at Alexandria he procurred some Kousso, the powdered flowers of an Abyssinian plant and gave it to a young officer of the ship who was troubled with Tonia, in which 4 hours after he took the mixture of this powder with water, he passed a tape worm some yards in length, he also gave some of this powder to Dr Liddel of the Trafalgar who had patients suffering from Tonia. The surgeon considered that the half allowance of grog was of great benefit, and also mentioned his testimony on “pure Essence of Soup” supplied by Mes. Hogarth of Aberdeen agreeable in flavour and nutritious and desirable as an article of diet for the sick at sea. Also including in the general remarks was a table of weather conditions between August 1851 and June 1852.

Folios 57-72: Copy of daily sick list of the Vengeance for 17 July 1851 to 30 June 1852.