Letter to Dr William Edward Young from Robert Farrant

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Letter to Dr William Edward Young from Robert Farrant

Author Robert Farrant

Date9 February 1877

Object number00006843

NameLetter

MediumInk on paper

DimensionsOverall (Closed): 177 × 114 mm

ClassificationsEphemera

Credit LineANMM Collection

Terms

DescriptionA handwritten letter to Dr Edward Young from Robert Farrant, sent from his house Balla Killingan in Ramsey, Isle of Man. Dr Young was a ship's surgeon on immigrant ships to Australia during the 1870s and 1880s. HistoryThe immigrant voyage from to Britain for Australia in the C19th was long, arduous and dangerous. While each vessel had a surgeon aboard, their role was all encompassing and despite best efforts, illness and death were not uncommon. The doctor's role was not just to heal those in need but primarily to prevent sickness ravaging passengers in the first place. This involved closely supervising the sanitary conditions on board, which was extremely difficult to maintain considering the unhygienic environment steerage passengers were forced to endure. An outbreak of disease was always feared as it was difficult to contain once it started to spread it such confined spaces. Regulations became stricter as the decades passed and ship's surgeons learnt more about managing conditions for months at sea. Migrants had medical inspections before boarding, cleanliness was important and regular checks by the surgeon were carried out. The focus was on prevention, hygiene and routine. They were also of course the daily medical emergencies such as births, bone breaks, illness, fever etc. and the ship's doctor treated them all within the confines of a moving ship. Often there were hundreds of passengers on board immigrant ships and all at some stage of the voyage may require medical attention. In the year 1883 when Dr William Young was surgeon aboard DUKE OF BUCCLEUCH from Plymouth to Brisbane, there was over 26,000 assisted passengers to Queensland alone. The arrival of this ship caused particular interest in it's arrival with one paper writing: "The Duke of Buccleuch, an immense iron ship, belonging to the Ducal line, whose owners have contracted with the Government of Queensland to convey 30,000 immigrants to that colony, is now in Newcastle harbour, and leaves shortly for London, via Java and Calcutta. The 'Dukes,' as they arrive in port, are visited by numbers of sightseers. Their carrying capacity averages some 4000 tons." Evening News (Sydney, NSW : 1869 - 1931) Thu 10 May 1883 SignificanceThe long journey to Australia by ship was fraught with danger not least the precarious health of the hundreds of passengers in cramped steerage. The role of surgeon was essential in not only curing illness that took hold but also by preventing illness from spreading through the ship. This involved him keeping conditions on board sanitary and ensuring passengers remained as clean and healthy as possible.