Catalogue description Medical journal of HMS Cracker , from 1 January to 31 December 1871 by Alexander...

Medical journal of HMS Cracker, from 1 January to 31 December 1871 by Alexander Turnbull, Surgeon, during which time the ship was employed in the South East Coast of American Station.

[Note: ADM 101/289, 1A-1B are produced as a single document: order as ADM 101/289].

Folios 1-18A: Correspondence respecting the Welsh Colony on the River Chupat, in Patagonia, between 12 April 1869 and 23 June 1871.

Folios 14-19: Extracts from Captain Brent's report on the Welsh Colony at Chupat, 1885.

Folio 19: Plan of Welsh Colony on the River Chupat, showed one farm plan of subdivisions with ground of different levels [no scale].

Folio 20: Printed instruction on completing the journal and alphabetical sick list.

Folio 21: case no 1, George William Knight, aged 35, Boatswain's Mate; taken ill at Buenos Ayres [Buenos Aires]; sick or hurt, scald, while he was melting a pot full of pitch on the ship forge, an explosion occurred. This man was scalded on both hands and forearms; put on sick list 31 December 1870, discharged 16 January 1871 at own request, period of service expired and hurt certificate granted on 24 January 1871.

Folios 22 and 40: case no 2, James Dalton, aged 38, Shipwright; taken ill at Montevideo; sick or hurt, diarrhoea; put on sick list 4 January 1871, discharged 22 January 1871 to duty.

Folios 22-38: Medical notes on yellow fever in Buenos Ayres, during 1870-71, by J Alston, MD.

Folios 40-42: case no 3, Mr Adolph Hunter, aged 30, Assistant Paymaster in charge; taken ill at Buenos Ayres; sick or hurt, haemorrhoids internal prolapsus ani, when aged 20 as a Clerk in HMS Trafalgar suffered for the first time from profuse haemoptysis and was treated in Haubowline Hospital August 1861, in June 1865 when serving on board HMS Achilles suffered from prolapsus ani and was discharged to Plymouth Naval Hospital; put on sick list 3 February 1871, discharged 26 December 1871 to duty.

Folio 43: case no 4, George Hussey, aged 26, Private Marine; taken ill at Colonia; sick or hurt, syphilis secondary; put on sick list 10 February 1871, invalided 16 March 1871 and discharged to HMS Galatea for passage to England, the Surgeon stated that after treatment at Plymouth and Haslar Hospital the patient was discharged to duty.

Folios 43-45: case no 5, Richard Butler, aged 27, Leading Stoker; taken ill at Montevideo; sick or hurt, debility, loss of appetite and night sweats succeeded by diarrhoea; put on sick list 25 February 1871, discharged 30 March 1871 to light duty as engine room Store Keeper.

Folio 45: case no 6, Charles E Myers, aged 31, Quarter Master; sick or hurt, paronychia on the left forefinger; put on sick list 10 July 1871, discharged 25 July 1871 to duty.

Folio 45: case no 7, Joseph J H Fruin, aged 22, Leading Seaman; taken ill at Montevideo; sick or hurt, scabies; put on sick list 19 June 1871, discharged 19 June 1871 to Sick Quarter for treatment.

Folios 45-46: case no 8, Samuel J First, aged 27, Able Seaman; taken ill at Montevideo; sick or hurt, hysteria, had presented peculiar nervous symptoms the chief of which were a choking sensation, epigastric uneasiness, with inability to lie down, tremors and great dread of impending death; put on sick list 27 August 1871, discharged 17 September 1871 to duty.

Folios 47-49: Blank.

Folio 50: Tables showing ship's movements during 18 January to 17 November 1871, from Montevideo, Buenos Ayres, Colonia, Nuevo Golfo, Rio de la Plata, Fray Bentos, Paysandu, Salto, Rosario and English Bank.

Folio 50: List of men who received wounds or hurts during the period of this journal. No on the ship's book 52, George William Knight, aged 36, Boatswain's Mate; pension granted on 24 January 1871; nature of hurts, scaled of forearms & hands from explosion of boiling pitch (case no 1), on 31 December 1870. No on the ship's book 2, Charles E Mayers, aged 31, Quarter Master; pension not granted; nature of hurts, loss of distal phalanx left forefinger from paronychia when on detached service & unable to obtained medical assistance (case no 6), on 10 July 1871.

Folios 51-52: Tables of medical statistics.

Folio 53: Blank.

Folios 54-61: Surgeon's general remarks on yellow fever epidemic at Buenos Ayres, 1871. He stated that the fever first made it appearance in Rio De Janeiro in 1849, but did not reach the River Plate until the end of 1857 when it broke out at Montevideo. In the early part of 1858 the disease appeared in Buenos Ayres and caused a mortality of some 1000 and again in February 1870 it was introduced into the city of Buenos Ayres from Rio de Janeiro, according to the Surgeon the origin on this occasion was traced to a passenger recently arrived from Brazil who died soon after he landed. The Surgeon stated on the origin of the disease of this place, he also mentioned that according to the official sources, the epidemic reached it high on the 10 April on which day the mortality amounted to 563, however the Surgeon made his own observation and gave weekly totals between 2 February and 22 June total of 13,614 mortality, also according to his observation at about the same time of official sources the highest mortality was 2942 which occurred on 13 April. He regarded the water supplied, drainage and sewage, the dry house refuse, population house accommodation and combined with a high temperature as particulars relative to the city of Buenos Ayres more especially at the out break of the pestilence. Also included are the Surgeon's notes about the Welsh Colony at Rio Chupat Patagonia, movements of the ship and small pox at River Plate 1871.

Folio 62: Blank.

Folios 63-65: Alphabetical sick list.

Folios 66-69: Blank.