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"Survey return from Norman MacLeod"
Trumisgarry, Dunvegan.
1850.
RCP/COL/4/8/149
Norman MacLeod was a church minister in Trumisgarry.
Trumisgarry (also known as Trumisgary) was a quoad sacra parish within the parish of North Uist in the historic County of Inverness. For further information on the whole parish, see the entry for Cairinish.
[[Addressee]]
The Revd
Norman MacLeod
Trumisgarry
Dunvegan
[[Survey]]
QUERIES
1. How many Medical Men practice within the Parish of Trumisgarry?
1 One medical man practising within the parish of Trumisgarry but the same person practices on the whole Island of North Uist containing the parish of North Uist and that of Trumisgarry - & a population of about 5000
2. The Names and Addresses of these.
2 John Mac Donald Esq
Surgeon
N. Uist
Lochmaddy
3. Has the number increased or diminished of late years?
3 The number has not increased or decreased in the last fifteen years - ie - since I came to reside[1 word illegible]in the Island
4. Have any left the Parish since you became connected with it? If so, for what reasons?
4 Dr Alexander MacLeod now residing at Portree Skye was the medical practitioner in this country when I came to it. He having got a situation elsewhere the present medical gentleman immediately succeeded.-
5. Is there any complaint among the people of inadequacy in the supply of Medical aid?
5 I have certainly heard some complain that the present medical man did not visit them so frequently as they could wish. Which seeming neglect cannot be ascribed to wilful carelessness on his part but to the frequency1 of calls in such an extensive & populous District.
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 For the reason just mentioned I have no doubt there are cases occasionally occurring of protracted suffering as urgent2 calls coming at the same time from different quarters at a great distance in opposite directions cannot possibly be at once attended to by the same individual.
7. To what extent is the deficiency of qualified Practitioners made up by the efforts of other parties?
73 In the simplest cases much is done by the more respectable private families. Those of ministry &c [1 word illegible] giving medicine & advised.
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?
8. Failing of additional medical aid. larger supplies of medicines at the disposal of private parties now accustomed to give them & [only] would be of very great service. For instance could I myself afford to keep4 a larger supply than my means can enable me I could relieve much more distress than I can now do.
9. What Heritors5 are resident, either generally or occasionally, in your Parish?
8. There are no heritors residing generally or occasionally in this Island-
[[Additional Text]]
31. Decr 1850 Norm: M:Leod
Explanatory notes:
1. Continues into next query box.
2. Continues into next query box.
3. Starts in query box.
4. Continues into next query box.
5. 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.
Remote & Rural Remedies
