Remote & Rural Remedies

"Survey return from Alex. S. Bethune"

Knock, by Stornoway.

1850.

RCP/COL/4/8/158

Alex S. Bethune was a church minister in Knock.

Knock was a quoad sacra parish within the parish of Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis in the historic County of Ross and Cromarty. Most of the inhabitants were employed in herring and cod fisheries. For further information on the whole parish, see the entry for Stornoway.

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[[Addressee]]
The Rev.
Alex. S. Bethune
Knock
by Stornoway

[[Survey]]
QUERIES

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

In all Lewis, only two, who reside at Stornoway

2. The Names and Addresses of these.

Dr Millar Dr Charles McRae
Stornoway
Lewis

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

For many years, the number has been the same-

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?

I am not aware that there is.

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?

No.

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

I believe it to be a general practice that each clergyman distant from medical relief keeps some drugs to meet the frequent calls that are made upon him for such remedies and the absence of every other source of supply

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 best expedient that suggests itself to me, to make up the deficiency in the supply of medical aid, and one I am sure which would be productive of an incalculable amount of good is if every country minister at an inconvenient distance, from medical aid were supplied¹ with² a medical chest and such instruments as would he thought suitable, together with appropriate instructions for using the same.

9. What Heritors³ are resident, either generally or occasionally, in your Parish?

None of the Heritors reside within the bounds of the Parish-

[[Additional Text]]⁴

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Explanatory notes:

1. Smudged ink from “medical” to “supplied.” It appears as though the respondent erased some words and wrote over them.
2. Answer continues into query 9 box.
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. Some text has been written and erased below query 9 leaving only a smudge and the faint remnants of some letters. The first letter of the first word appears to be “M” but the rest is illegible.