Remote & Rural Remedies

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"Survey return from D. MacKinnon"

Fearn, by Tain.

1850.

RCP/COL/4/8/77

D. MacKinnon was a church minister to Fearn parish.

Fearn was a parish in the historic County of Ross and Cromarty. In 1831, the population was 1695. The majority of the inhabitants worked in agriculture, with high-quality green crops being raised. Fishery was also done by some of the villagers.

[[Addressee]]
The Revd
D. MacKinnon
Fearn
by Tain

[[Survey]]
QUERIES

1. How many Medical Men practice within the Parish of Fearn?

None reside in the Parish - but three who reside in the town of Tain 6 miles distant occasionally practice

2. The Names and Addresses of these.

Dr W B Ross
Dr A M Andie.} Tain
Dr Jas Vass

3. Has the number increased or diminished of late years?

[no text]

4. Have any left the Parish since you became connected with it? If so, for what reason?

No medical man has resided in the Parish during that period

5. Is there any complaint among the people of inadequacy in the supply of Medical aid?

The want of a resident medical man is much felt - as the expense of bringing one from Tain may be said to place medical aid beyond the reach of the class for whose benefits this inquiry has been instituted.

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?

Such cases are of very frequent occurrence

7. To what extent is the deficiency of qualified Practitioners made up by the efforts of other parties?

I regret to say that an ignorant quack, who if he does not destroy many lives, certainly puts them in imminent peril, is in the habit of prescribing for many of the people + that not a few of them have more faith in his nostrum than in the prescription of a qualified practitioner.

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?

It has occurred to me that a society might be formed in on the principle of an insurance & [1 word illegible] - the members respectively paying such subscriptions as [1 word illegible] in [1 word illegible] would make up such a sum in to induce one of the medical men in the neighborhood to give his attendance to any case of sickness among the members-

9. What Heritors¹ are resident, either generally or occasionally, in your Parish?

There is at present no resident Heritor & only one who even occasionally resides - David Monro Esq. of Allan-

Explanatory notes:

1. 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.

"Survey return from D. MacKinnon"

Fearn, by Tain.

1850.

D. MacKinnon was a church minister to Fearn parish.

Fearn was a parish in the historic County of Ross and Cromarty. In 1831, the population was 1695. The majority of the inhabitants worked in agriculture, with high-quality green crops being raised. Fishery was also done by some of the villagers.

1. 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.