Catalogue description Folios 20-23: case no. 11, Robert Dickson, aged 37, surgeon; taken ill off Navarino;...

Folios 20-23: case no. 11, Robert Dickson, aged 37, surgeon; taken ill off Navarino; sick or hurt, [author note] on 26 July, the surgeon of the Dryad was taken ill of fever, and his case had been placed under Dr Anderson Angus, surgeon of HM Sloop Pelican, which he stated that Robert Dickson has experienced several slight rigors and felt himself slightly indisposed,…, had his head shaved, and cold applications kept constantly applied. Form 27 July his case continued by assistant surgeon David Burns of HMS Asia; put on sick list 26 July 1828, discharged 23 August 1828 to duty. [Robert Dickson made an observation on the treatment of his fever, including the criticism towards Doctor Angus regarding the bleeding method]. Folio 23: case no. 12, William Howell, aged 55, sail maker; taken ill at sea; sick or hurt, fever, this man was a boatswain at Trafalgar, and a sergeant at Waterloo, for which the latter he has a pension. He was very dissipated and suffered much from stricture and perineal tumours, which had been relieved by balsam copaiba. Mr [David] Burns treated this patient with his usual [subservient?], and sent him in a state of convalescent; put on sick list 30 July 1828, sent 1 August 1828 to hospital at Malta, subsequently invalided and was sent to England.

Folio 24: case no. 13, Stephen Waite, aged 27, sergeant of marine; taken ill at Poros; sick or hurt, rheumatism; put on sick list 4 November 1828, sent 9 January 1829 to hospital at Malta.

Folio 25: case no. 14, Edward Bennett, aged 46, seaman; taken ill at Poros; sick or hurt, ulcer, rheumatism &c, has served about 28 years, lately been often in the sick list for [chronic?] affections of the hands and feet attended by much swolling and tension; put on sick list 13 November 1828, sent 9 January 1829 to hospital at Malta. Folio 25: case no. 15, Samuel Tapper, aged 18, boy; taken ill at Poros; sick or hurt, fever, brown complexion and active and hardy lad, was attacked with slight rigors followed by a hot fit, bowels costive. [the surgeon’s note that this case] has been recorded not from any importance but from the curious formation of the subject, he was frequently requested to observe this patient (who was and excellent swimmer) bathe with the other boys. [the surgeon stated that] Tapper’s breasts so perfectly resemble those of a young woman of 18 or 19 that even the male genetals which are also perfect, do not fully remove the impression that the spectator is not looking on a female. The surgeon and Mr Knox [assistant surgeon] examined the patient and found the breasts to consist of glandulas [bodus?] not at all resembling the fat mammille [mammalia?] of boys. The surgeon also noted that he visited the Royal Gallery at Florence and saw the Statue of an Hermaphrodite, which he said resembling Tapper in breasts and genitals; put on sick list 3 December 1828, discharged 10 December 1828 to duty.

Folio 26: case no. 16, David Drew, aged 29, seaman; taken ill at Malta Harbour; sick or hurt, fractured femur, fell from the fore Futtock shrouds and striking against something in his descent to the water, caused a comminuted fracture of the left femur; put on sick list 28 December 1828, sent 25 May 1829 to hospital at Plymouth, the sorgeon stated that he gave the patient a private certificate, on the score of humanity not of duty. Folio 26: case no. 17, Francis Plant, aged 40, seaman; taken ill at Malta; sick or hurt, accident wounded fingers, in hoisling in privisions had the fore and little fingers of the right hand jamed in a block which splintered the first phalanges, this being an excellent seaman and a good man, this patient on the surgeon recommendation received a present from the [British] ambassador then on board, but according to the surgeon the patient does not appear entitled to a public certificate; put on sick list 2 January 1829, discharged 21 February 1829 to duty. Folio 26: case no. 18, George Harkets, aged 42, seaman; taken ill off Sapienza; sick or hurt, accident jamed fingers, during towing away the chain cable got the little finger of the left hand jamed between the chain and the hatchway, the finger was dressed simply, but the capsular ligament was so [imposed?] as to admit of [the escape?] of synovial fluid. The surgeon noted that this man who is now of the best character, also received a small present from the British Ambassador; put on sick list 22 December 1828, discharged 11 February 1829 to duty.

Folio 27: case no. 19, John Sullivan, aged 45, seaman; taken ill at Malta Harbour; sick or hurt, asthma; put on sick list 2 January 1829, sent 9January 1829 to hospital at Malta and subsequently invalided. Folio 27: case no. 20, Robert Cooper, aged 29, seaman; taken ill at Naples; sick or hurt, gonorrhoea, the surgeon stated that in no case was it necessary to bleed and in no case was he use a syrringe except for the purposed of cleanliness; put on sick list 18 January 1829, discharged 1 February 1829 to duty. Folio 27: case no. 21, James Connor, aged 28, boatswain’s mate; taken ill at Naples; sick or hurt, wounded penis, on the act of playing tricks upon one of his messmates, his penis was slit with a knife at about an inch wounding the glans to a line in depth; put on sick list 17 January 1829, discharged 23 January 1829 to duty.

Folio 28: case no. 22, James Gillan, aged 26, seaman; taken ill at Naples; sick or hurt, syphilis, ulceration of the prepuce, phymosis and a bubo in the left groin; put on sick list 28 January 1829, discharged 28 February 1829 to duty. Folio 28: case no. 23, Richard Jeffrey, aged not stated, private marine artillery; taken ill at Naples; sick or hurt, wounded forehead, had been on leave ashore and was met by two Italian Ruffians, who endeavoured to rob him of his watch, he defended himself, the assassin’s knife struck him on the forehead over the right eye dividing the scalp and perrostrum down to the bone; put on sick list 10 February 1829, discharged 6 March 1829 to duty. Surgeon’s noted that “it is well known that on no part do wounds heals so fast, as those on the scalp, first perhaps from the ease with which they are kept in contact and secondly the amples supply of blood to the head &c”. The surgeon gave an example that “about twenty years ago I was wounded in two places by two Portuguese assassins whom I brought to the Earth, and punished, and have ever since encouraged – by precept and example single [stick?], broadsword, and boxing glove, the grave of boxing will give birth to British assassins”.

Folio 29: case no. 24, William Hillyer, aged 49, ship’s corporal; taken ill off Elba; sick or hurt, colick spasms &c, complained of “cramp” in his right thigh, which he says he was often liable. On the 3 April, the surgeon was called at 6 am. to see him when the powers of sense were gone – the breathing difficult with [st?ter] and the fatal rattle of the throat, the extremities cold and clammy. Hot formentations instantly applied to the epigastrium an enima, …, the enima was retained and repeated at 8 am., however the surgeon mentioned that even the enima which were more than usually hot produced no marked sensation; put on sick list 2 April 1829, died 3 April 1829 at 10:30 am. the surgeon stated that a metastasis to the abdominal viscera appears to have taken place during sleep for those around and close to him were not disturbed by him. The surgeon proposed to Captain Crofton to examine the body but was refused, surgeon also mentioned that the patient was a master at arms of a Frigate but was reduced on account repeated acts of drunkenness, he was a truly broken down, [noweless?] subject.