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"Survey return from John Macfarlane"
Lochgilphead.
1850.
RCP/COL/4/8/6
John Macfarlane was a church minister to Lochgilphead parish.
Lochgilphead is a town which was in the historic County of Argyle. Its port has a direct 'facility of communication' to Glasgow. It was a quoad sacra parish and a government church was built there in 1828, which in 1841 had a population attached to it of 2739. The village saw a large increase in population in the early to mid-19th century. Its main industry was agriculture.
[[Addressee]]
The Revd
John Macfarlane
Lochgilphead
[[Survey]]
QUERIES
1. How many Medical Men practice within the Parish of Lochgilphead?
Three
2. The Names and Addresses of these.
Messr Dugald Campbell - John Hunter and Hugh Jackson
3. Has the number increased or diminished of late years?
Two died a year or had before I was settled here
4. Have any left the Parish since you became connected with it? If so, for what reasons?
None
5. Is there any complaint among the people of inadequacy in the supply of Medical aid?
one - except among the paupers who are always asking for medicines and never take them when they get them.
6. Do you know of any cases of protracted suffering, or of injury by Accident, such as might have been alleviated had proper advice been at hand?
I know of none in which any blame be attached to the Medicine Man, but I know of some, especially females who from a false delicacy concern to their disease till too late
7. To what extent is the deficiency of qualified Practitioners made up by the efforts of other parties?
There is no deficiency, and the only other efforts made are by scoundrally quacks & old women
8. Does your experience enable you to suggest any measure – of general applicability – such as would be likely to relieve to some extent the evils (if they exist) of deficiency in the supply of Medical aid?
The only suggestion I can make in answer to this query is what has been mentioned to me by the Medical Gentlemen, i.e. a supply of the more expensive medicines which are necessary, but which from their limited allowance they cannot be expected to give1
9. What Heritors2 are resident, either generally or occasionally, in your Parish?
The3 principal heritor is Alexr Campbell Esq of Auchindaroch who is generally resident - Sir J. P. Orde Kilmory – a a
Explanatory notes:
1. continues into box for query 9.
2. A heritor was a landowner, under Scots Law, whose holdings were sizeable enough for them to be liable for the payment of public burdens such as Poor Law rates, road and bridge assessments and the church minister’s stipend.
3. Answer to query 9 continues past box.
Remote & Rural Remedies
