ADM 101/24/8 Taken from General Remarks portion of the report of John Smith, surgeon on the "Elizabeth & Henry" convict transport for the voyage from Woolwich to Hobart dated 1848
On the second of February 1848 I commenced the embarkation of the convicts at Woolwich from Millbank prison, who were embarked in there ????? d...., and they appeared with the exception of a few a???, in tolerably good health. These latter, with the exception of one who suffered from Enurisis, and another from Hernia, did not suffer from any organic disease. The infirmity from age, and in the younger, probably from former irregular habits, caused all to appear much older than they had been marked in the lists with me.
It gives me much pleasure to have to make so small a return of sick . During our protracted and trying voyage; and of only one casualty in an adult and one in an infant; the former from long and painful suffering in a prison, who had lived a very dissolute and intemperate life but who did not ????? on embarkation. Very urgent symptoms of her disease, which had been mainly called into action on this ????????????during the early part of the voyage.
This state of health on the people I ascribe in a great degree to the rigid discipline I had maintained in every point ???ing to the sanitary state of the ship; and to the great attention paid to the state of the digestive organs, especially in the ???, during the period the people had been on dry food, and difficult of digestion. It is to these , more particularly that I ascribe this great immunity from disease; which had been affected by a of apurient and emetic medicines, wherein the least symptoms of functional arrangements manifested themselves thus precluding many hospital cases.
As will appear by the nosological synopsis, the majority of the diseases demanding hospital treatment, were connected with uterine functional derangement of one kind or another, most generally from suppressed menstruation. In the majority of the women who had been on the town, this disease began to show itself soon after embarkation, together with its concomitants, ??? and hysteria, simulating apoplexy and deranged digestion. And on their debarkation, there were some who did not menstruate at regular periods. And all manifested from their ????? and cheerful countenances and ????? that good health preponderated. This was general remark of all connected with the convict establishment, who had been in the habit of first seeing the convicts on their debarkation including the Colonial Surgeon, who inspected them very minutely. And as regards the children, it has been ????? remarked ???? at the nursery where there are now eighty infants that they never saw so healthy looking infants as these handed by me. All this, I before stated, I attribute to the strict discipline I caused to be observed, more particularly in the cleanliness of the prisons and of the prisoners ????? - no easy task. This latter I succeeded in having effectually done by allowing them to perform their ablutions in the prison. At the outset of the voyage I had them daily ???? to perform their ablutions, as is the custom generally; but I found that being exposed to the gaze of officers and men, many of them preferred merely going through the form of washing. They were so thankful for this indulgence that they were very careful not to make any ??? or dirt. I should not conclude these few remarks without giving to the "Disinfecting Fluid" its just merit. This I am sure, has done much good. One instance in its favor is this - that for nine days the hatches had been battened down in a heavy gale of wind, with the exception of a few hours in the day, whenever a lull would admit of it, and then only partially; and during all that time, the "Disinfecting FluiD" being daily used, more particularly in the lower sleeping berths and water closets, not the least fetid or offensive efflurium had been discerned, not even from the water closets, where 170 adults had been at most ???? by visiting. This immunity from foul air could not be enjoyed under such circumstances, unless some powerful chemical agent had been in operation. I am, therefore, to suppose that this said agent must be no other than Sir Wm Burnett's "Disinfecting Fluid".
I mst add to this, the almost unremitting use of fire, whenever the hatches could be opened; as the prison, from the nmber of leakages, and the slipping? of seas through the hatchways was frequently inundated and in a constant state of humidity. Requiring the unremitting attention of the prisoners in drying and cleaning the prison, and when from sea sickness and frustration, they were not able to perform this work, the ????? on were called on to do it. And this state, with very short intervals, prevailed almost to the end of the voyage - occassioned by a defect in the ???? marks; the under part of which has been left open for six inches or more in width, and the whole height of the deck. The consequence is that, on the least roll of the ship, even in the finest weather, the decks fore and aft, as also the prison deck are frequently swamped.
As regards the good state of health of the children, which has been so marked on their debarkation; ??? ??? that, at an early period, I had all the rations of bread ??? (the infants) and issued to them rice, sago and arrow root, the latter to the youngest and so on, the rice to the oldest. This had the desired effect. I had one woman selected, whose sole occupation was the ???ing this and distributing it to the parents, to feed the children in the hospital as some could not be treated with it ????.
The ??? ??? ??? the have an excellent effect, not in the dirt of the children, but in that of the adults. I caused a certain quantity to be issued out daily for the puddings?. ??? from several that the puddings had not the ???? affect as before their use.
At the Cape of Good Hope, I purchased a supply of fruits, viz oranges, grapes and pears, out of the prison's monies in my hands, first having obtained their assent. This I had issued out daily in small proportions, say about 2 oranges a day to each. By this management I had them twelve days on excellent fruit, that being the period they had been on fresh . This very much suppressed the necessity for medicine, both as an apurient and antiseptic.
John Smith, Surgeon.