HEALTH REPORTS ON “SCINDIAN” CONVICTS

                                               Marcia Watson

Generally the health of convicts was described as Very Good, Good or Indifferent.

December Quarter 1848 (Reel 5205)                                                      WA

BARKER George                              Enlarged glands in neck             (No 39)

BEST Francis                                   Indifferent eye                           (No 73)

DOBSON John                                 Spongy gums                           (No 36)

HATTON James                               Spongy gums                           (No 69)

JONES Richard                                Spongy gums                           (No 41)

MORRIS James                               Spongy gums                           (No 49)

PYE Charles                                     Spongy gums                           (No 59)

TAYLOR Seymour                            Spongy gums                           (No 28)

WESTMORELAND Francis               Spongy gums                           (No 47)

WETHERALL Esau                           Spongy gums                           (No 54)

[Spongy gums is a symptom of scurvy]

March Quarter 1849 (Reel 5206)

BAKER James                                 Tolerably good                          (No 48)

BARKER George                              Scrofula                                    (No 39)

DOBSON John                                 Scrofula                                    (No 36)

JONES Richard                                Scrofula                                    (No 41)

RASAN John                                    Very bad                                   (No 64)

[Scrofula, an obsolete term for tuberculosis of the lymphatic glands]

June Quarter 1849

HARGREAVES Thomas                    Bad                                          (No 31)

September Quarter 1849

BARKER George                              Tolerably good                          (No 39)

December Quarter 1849 (Reel 5207)

BURKETT Solomon                         Health good (ruptured)               (No 19)

DIGGLE Samuel                               Hemorrhoids                             (No 58)

JOHNSON William                            Subject to rheumatism               (No 70)

THOMAS Alexander                         Subject to rheumatism               (No 61)

March Quarter 1850

No serious health problems were noted prior to the convicts embarking on the ‘Scindian”

on 28th February 1850

References and Notes:

Portland Prison Quarterly Returns

Australian Joint Copying Project (AJCP) Reels 5205 to 5207, HO 8/97 to HO 8/103

First Printed in Convict Links, Vol. 14, No. 2, April 2000 - Newsletter of the Convict Special Interest Group, Western Australian Genealogical Society Inc.