Catalogue description Folio 31: Elizabeth Perry, aged 42; disease or hurt, a painful, red swelling of the...

Folio 31: Elizabeth Perry, aged 42; disease or hurt, a painful, red swelling of the right breast, which she ascribed to a blow received a few days earlier. Put on sick list, 8 November 1827, at sea. Discharged cured, 16 November 1827.

Folio 32: Mary Lamb and Martha Dearman, cases continued.

Folios 33-35: Blank.

Folio 36: Abstract of the preceding journal nosologically arranged.

Folio 36: A return of the sick and wounded of His Majesty's Female Convict Ship Sovereign between the 2nd day of June and the 29th day of December 1827.

Folios 37-39: Surgeon's general remarks. Comments that there could be no better circumstances for the spread of disease than that of female convicts confined in a ship and separated from their homes and country. Even so there was no great sickness on the voyage. The only death was of a fourteen week old child who suffered convulsions. The surgeon can find no other cause for death than the change of diet undergone by the mother and the change produced in her milk. He objected to taking the child on the grounds that it was very unlikely to survive the voyage but the mother insisted on being taken. Orders have been issued to gaolers against presenting nursing mothers for transportation but, from the number presented for embarkation on the Sovereign, the regulations are being ignored. There were a few cases of synochus from the change in temperature on crossing the Tropic of Cancer, caused by the change in the distribution of the fluids and the tendency to congestion. The change in temperature would have been much greater if they had left England at a less favourable time. Leaving in August means that they could undertake the whole voyage with the minimum variation in temperature. Between July and September is the best time to start such a voyage. On reconsideration, the cases in early October must have been scarlatina, or scarlet fever. The weight of medical opinion holds that scarlatina may be generated spontaneously in the right conditions. Sydenham ascribes epidemic diseases to a peculiar condition of the atmosphere and the late Dr Parry agrees. The age of the sufferers may account for the limited spread of the disease, adults are less susceptible, and Dr MacMichael says that it may pass completely unobserved. The appearance of the disease immediately preceded cold weather and may be attributed to the decrease in temperature. On questioning Mary Dunn it appears that she may have been suffering bronchitis for some days before the scarlet fever and the inflammatory action may have started in the mucous membranes. In the case of rheumatism, Catharine Jones, the rheumatic action transferred to the larynx. There have been many cases of metastasis to the heart but the Surgeon does not remember any of metastasis to the larynx. Dr Armstrong suggests a treatment that may be very useful in treating rheumatic laryngitis. Signed Robert Malcolm, Surgeon, Sydney, New Holland, 14 December 1827.