Catalogue description Medical journal of the Merchant Man, convict ship from 11 June to 17 September 1864 by...

Medical journal of the Merchant Man, convict ship from 11 June to 17 September 1864 by William Smith, Surgeon Superintendent, during which time the ship was employed in conveying convicts to Australia. (Described at item level).

[Note: ADM 101/255, 1A-1G are produced as a single document: order as ADM 101/255].

Folio 1: case no. 1, Patrick Maher, aged 25, Convict; taken ill at sea; sick or hurt, disease of the heart; put on sick list 1 August 1864, died 1 August 1864, no post mortem examination was made.

Folio 1: case no. 2, Edward Fallows, aged 37, Convict; taken ill at sea; sick or hurt, diarrhoea, had suffered much from sea sickness and was of a feeble habit of body and much emaciated, the diarrhoea resisted every remedy; put on sick list 25 July 1864, died 30 July 1864.

Folio 1: case no. 3, Mary Jaffery, aged 1, Pensioner Guard’s Child; taken ill at sea; sick or hurt, tabes mesenterica, with considerable emaciation attended with diarrhoea, being recuced to skin and bone; put on sick list 1 August 1864, died 11 August 1864.

Folio 1: case no. 3, Mary Jaffery, aged 1, Pensioner Guard’s Child; taken ill at sea; sick or hurt, tabes mesenterica, with considerable emaciation attended with diarrhoea, being recuced to skin and bone; put on sick list 1 August 1864, died 11 August 1864.

Folio 2: case no. 4, Eliza Latimer, aged 3, Pensioner Guard’s Child; taken ill at sea; sick or hurt, measles attended by pneumonia; put on sick list 28 July 1864, died 4 August 1864.

Folio 2: case no. 5, Maria Cunningham, aged 1, Pensioner Guard’s Child; taken ill at sea; sick or hurt, measles followed by bronchial inflamation; put on sick list 31 July 1864, died 18 August 1864.

Folio 2: case no. 6, James Wilson, aged 33, Convict; taken ill at sea; sick or hurt, dropsy, was put on the list with ascites apparently caused by enlargement of liver; put on sick list 7 July 1864, sent 14 September 1864 to Hospital at Freemantle.

Folios 3-5: Blank.

Folio 6: Tables of medical statistic.

Folio 7: Blank.

Folio 8: Surgeon’s general remarks, the Ship left Gravesend on 13 June and after embarked 260 male convicts at Chatham, Portsmouth and Portland, the ship sailed from the latter place on 1 July and anchored at Freemantle, western Australia on 12 September. The guard consisted of 28 pensioners accompanied by 18 wives and 39 children, six warders embarked with 3 wives and one child, and the ship’s company amounted to 43 souls. The convicts were healthy with only 2 deaths occurred entered as case nos 1 &2. They were 17 cases of measles occurred amongst the children of the guard, of whom two died as detailed in case nos. 4 & 5 and one child died of mesenterica in case no. 3. One of the warders as well as the guard’s wives were confined during the voyage and two male children added to the number on board. Signed: William Smith, M. D., Surgeon Superintendent.

Folio 9: Blank.

Folios 10-12: Alphabetical sick list.