MEDICAL MEN ON BOARD EMIGRANT SHIPS.
(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT)
Liverpool, Friday.
Much dissatisfaction is at present felt at the way in which emigrant ships are supplied in regard to medical men and the coroner of this borough gave
expression to his feeling in no very measured terms, at the close of business yesterday, the following observations having fallen from him: -- “I wish
(he said) to make an observation on the case of the female in the dead house: and really I hardly know how, in any language of mine, to bring it
sufficiently under your notice with a desire to have it remedied, if it be possible to have it remedied: for the number of cases that are now
occurring, and as it appears to me in some measure arising from the very inefficient medical staff on board emigrant ships, renders it necessary that
something should be done. A short time ago – in fact with in the last two or three days – cases were brought under my notice where there were medical
men on board vessels and parties have died from natural causes. Elderly persons have died – but the majority from natural causes – almost immediately
after they got on board. Elderly females and children have died in the same way, and certificates to that effect were forwarded to me. Having those
certificates, I did not hold inquests, considering the medical certificate was sufficient, if the death was from national (sic) causes, to satisfy me,
and therefore there was no necessity for public inquiry. But now the cases are becoming so very numerous, I am compelled, from the facts that come
under my notice, to go very rigidly into all cases of death occurring on board emigrant ships. It will be within the last two or three days, two
children, the children of a German emigrant – one, I believe, twelve years of ages, the other some years younger – died in the river on board a ship
called the Ben Nevis. I believe there were no less than two medical men on board that vessel. I do not want to say anything of the professional
qualifications of those gentlemen, but it was their duty to have a proper and authentic certificate on shore accounting for the death of those
children. A certificate, I believe, was sent on shore only on Sunday last, and it was taken, I think, to Major Greig. Major Greig, from the nature of
the certificate, considered it was only a case that required parish attention, and gave directions accordingly. One of the two medical men certified
that the children had died from cholera, whilst the other said that they had not died from cholera, but he did not say what the children died from. I
directed an inquiry to me made from the owners of the vessel, and the result was, that a proper certificate was to have been sent to me by ten o’clock
on the following morning. In the meantime, Mr. Gray, finding the discrepancy between the two medical certificates, said he would not interfere until
the coroner was informed of the circumstances. At ten o’clock next morning no certificate came, and I directed further inquiry, the result of which
was, that the ship had gone to sea, surgeons and all, and the owners knew nothing about it. I then directed a post mortem examination of the bodies
to be made by the surgeon attached to this court, and lo and behold you, he discovered that neither from cholera nor any other disease had the
children died – they died of starvation (sensation). I heard a fact this morning which really startled me, and I did not at all thank the gentleman
who gave me the information. I am told there is a class of men who go and represent themselves to be surgeons, and who are not surgeons at all
(sensation). I believe that chemists go with a desire of getting a free passage, and being paid besides, and represent themselves as being properly
qualified to take charge of the passengers on board those ships. In a recent case, the number of passengers on board a ship might be two hundred
perhaps; a great number of whom were females, and as the matter turned out, married females, many of them in an advanced state of pregnancy. A person
of this class had been appointed surgeon of the ship, and he found there was a great responsibility, which might turn out very seriously to him, and
he went to my informant, and said, “What shall I do under the circumstances?” “Well” said the other, “you had better do nothing.” In fact, doing
nothing was best, and leaving them to the charge of the females on board. I told that gentleman that he was morally responsible for anything which may
happen in the case, for it was his duty, on hearing this, to have informed the owners of the ship, so that a proper person might be appointed to take
charge of these females and of the people on board. I hope that no casualty will occur; but we do not know what may happen. It is not long ago, at
one of our principal hospitals – I will give you the name, the Northern Hospital – I missed, in one of my visits there, the door porter, and I said,
“Where has he gone? Has he left you?” “Yes, sir,” was the reply, “he has gone out physician on board a ship” (laughter). “What!” I said, “gone as an
M.D.! Do you mean to say he has taken charge of a ship?” “Yes. That was what I was informed.” The house porter had absolutely taken charge of the
passengers on board a ship, and “M.D.” was his qualification. This is a state of things which most certainly ought to be at once remedied. Take the
case of the female today. She dies on board the Ben Nevis also, and there is the certificate. One party signs his name “Blennerhasset,” the other
signs something like “Hankey,” but both use the very vague title, “M.D.” It means really a doctor of medicine, but I could put another construction on
it, which, perhaps, would be a better and more appropriate one; but I will not trust myself to do so. He then read the following certificate:
“Ship Ben Nevis. – We hereby certify that Regina Sahatta (sic), 37 years of age, died this morning at half-past seven o’clock, on board this ship,
from effusion on the brain caused by excessive grief of losing a child.
(Signed) “Richard Blennerhasset, M.D.
“Hankay, M.D.
“September 26th, 1854.”
The Coroner – I know the examination is very strict in the navy. But here is almost a population of a whole village going out in one of these ships,
and there is nothing about the medical man, except that his name is So-and-So, “I am a surgeon or an M.D.” My object is to have properly qualified
medical men appointed to the ships going out of the port. On the abdomen of this poor woman there was a large mustard poultice, which was a very
extraordinary way of treating her for an effusion of the brain.
A Juryman thought the remarks of the coroner would apply to American vessels chiefly: it would be found the Australian vessels were better in this
respect.
The Coroner said this vessel, the Ben Nevis, was going to Australia.
A Juryman stated he had been sailing in ships out of Liverpool for eighteen years, and he never knew a proper doctor to be on board. Ask them for
medicines, and they said nothing was the matter with you. He had seen from ten to fifteen bodies thrown overboard for want of proper medical
attention.
The Foreman said the jury agreed entirely with the coroner, as to the want of proper inquiry as to the qualifications of surgeons on board emigrant
ships.
The subject then dropped.
[According to Pastor Jan Kilian’s death records:
Fifteen people died while in Liverpool harbor, 16 to 26 September, twelve from cholera, culminating with the death of Rosina Schatte, not Regina
Sahatta, on26 Sep 1854.
Seven died while in the Irish channel, 27 to 29 September.
Thirty-one died while off Queenstown, 30 September to 23 October, 28 from cholera like symptoms.]
