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"Survey return from Alen Gunn"
Watten, Wick.
1850.
RCP/COL/4/8/115
Alen (also written as Alexr) Gunn was a church minister in Watten.
Watten was a parish in the historic County of Caithness. In 1831, the population was 1234. The main industry was agriculture with some livestock being bred.
[[Addressee]]
The Revd
Alexr Gunn
Watten
Wick
[[Survey]]
QUERIES
1. How many Medical Men practice within the Parish of Watten?
Watten- No resident medical man. The nearest medical aid is from Wick, distant 9 miles- There is a practitioner resident in the adjoining Parish of Bower, about 5 miles distant- Doubtful whether he has a diploma-
2. The Names and Addresses of these.
[no text]
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 reasons?
No
5. Is there any complaint among the people of inadequacy in the supply of Medical aid?
The district is generally healthy- and I hear few complaints of the want of medical aid, but many of the exorbitant charges of our medical men.
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?
on account of the high fees charged, the people seldom think of calling a medical man until there is manifest danger and often I daresay cases are too fare gone before advice is had.
7. To what extent is the deficiency of qualified Practitioners made up by the efforts of other parties?
If parties not resident within the Parish are meant, then our medical aid is wholly from there. If by parties are meant unqualified practitioners within the Parish, scarcely anything is attempted by such, in serious, cases.
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?
I should say in such a district as this, having rather a thin population, and well supplied with roads, a medical man stationed halfway between Wick and Thurso, might have plenty to do within a radius of 7 miles, and would be a great boon. Toward his maintenance something might be got from the Parochial Boards1, and if he were disposed to make an agreement to attend at so much per2 annum whether well or ill, a considerable sum might be counted on – but I doubt whether a sufficient income could be secured without the cooperation of the Heritors a thing I should say in present circumstances not to be looked for- as few or none can be called reside and all of them have enough to do with their money. From any other quarter aid is hopeless; and upon the whole I think that, although a medical man, in the position above mentioned, might do well after he became [1 word illegible] and trusted, there is little likelihood at present of anyone making the experiment.
9. What Heritors3 are resident, either generally or occasionally, in your Parish?
[no text]
[[Additional Text]]
4Watten Free Manse
4 Dec 1850
Alen Gunn
P.S should the Comee wish for more detailed information regarding the middle district of this County, as respects the statistics of population rentals, distances, circumstances of the people &c &c, I shall be happy to aid, as far as I can, in the benevolent object they have in view, as I presume they wish to ascertain, not merely what deficiency in the supply of medical aid may exist in any districts, but also what prospect there is of the districts being able to supportamedical Practitioners.
A.G.
Explanatory notes:
1. Following the Poor Law Amendment (Scotland) Act of 1845 parochial boards were set up in each parish to administer poor relief.
2. Continues on to addressee page.
3. 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.
4. Written on the addressee page.
Remote & Rural Remedies
