Remote & Rural Remedies

"Survey return from Roderick MacDonald"

Harris, by Lochmaddy.

1850.

RCP/COL/4/8/146

Roderick MacDonald was a church minister in Harris.

Harris was a parish and a village in the Western Isles in the historic County of Inverness. The parish contained multiple principle islands, including Scalpay and Taransay. The main village was Tarbet, which had continuous communication with Skye via steamboat. The population in the mid-19th century exceeded 4000. Most of the land was used for pasture, including for sheep breeding.

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[[Addressee]]
The Revd p.p.
Roderick MacDonald
Harris
by Lochmaddy

[[Survey]]
QUERIES

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

one

2. The Names and Addresses of these.

Robert Clark Esq
Surgeon
by Lochmaddy } Harris

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

No, Dr Clark has been the only Surgeon in the Parish for the last twenty years or thereabouts

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

None left it since I knew the affairs of the Parish – Indeed I believe Dr Clark is the only surgeon that ever lived in Harris for any considerable time

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

I have heard a few complaints, but know not if they were well founded but from the extent of the Parish & the number of its circumjacent islands, it must be supposed that one medical man is can hardly attend all the cases that might require his services-

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?

6. I am not aware that any such cases, were in any way neglected from want of medical advice-

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

The people are extremely healthy, there is a little done by private individuals in the way of giving medicine but not much-

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 law requires that we shall have a medical man in the Parish – so we must always have one – but the people are very poor and cannot buy medicine – and I think a yearly supply of medicine to [be] given to the poor people gratis – is the most obvious way of supplying the deficiency.

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

All the Parish belongs to one Proprietor who is a minor – and does not reside in Harris.

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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.