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"Survey return from Hector MacLean"
Lochalsh.
1850.
RCP/COL/4/8/123
Hector MacLean was a church minister in Lochalsh.
Lochalsh was a parish in the historic County of Ross and Cromarty. It contained the village Plockton. It had a number of good fishing harbours. In 1831, the population was 2433. The main areas of the parish were divided into agriculture and pastures.
[[Addressee]]
The Revd
Hector MacLean
Lochalsh
[[Survey]]
QUERIES
1. How many Medical Men practice within the Parish of Lochalsh ?
one
2. The Names and Addresses of these.
Doctor Donald Kennedy
Plocktown
Lochalsh
3. Has the number increased or diminished of late years?
No
4. Have any left the Parish since you became connected with it? If so, for what reasons?
Doctor Kennedy was for some time absent, but returned to the parish where his family resided. He was surgeon in the Navy and that caused his absence.
5. Is there any complaint among the people of inadequacy in the supply of Medical aid?
I hear of no complaints
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?
During the temporary absence of Doctor Kennedy I had a partial dislocation of the ankle joint which was not properly reduced. I am not aware of any other case -
7. To what extent is the deficiency of qualified Practitioners made up by the efforts of other parties?
I do not hear of deficiency. The efforts of ignorant presumtuous1 Quacks when they do occur are not to be prized.
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?
Nothing occurs to me of which I can speak with confidence. I may however observe. that in very extensive and poor parishes. The attention of the clergyman supposing him to have acquired some knowledge, might be useful, providing he acted with caution.
9. What Heritors2 are resident, either generally or occasionally, in your Parish?
One Namely J. Willm Lillingston generally or always
[[Additional Text]]
I have heard of women being employed to cure a disease called Glachdaichean-cleibh (with which the faculty is perhaps unacquainted) The cure I understood was so effectual that there was no probability of a recurrence of the malady.3
Explanatory notes:
1. Misspelling of “presumptuous”.
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. The whole of this section in the additional part is marked as an addition to query 7.
Remote & Rural Remedies
