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"Survey return from William Malcolm"
Firth, Orkney.
1850.
RCP/COL/4/8/169
William Malcolm was a church minister in Firth.
Firth was a united parish (with Stenness) on the mainland of Orkney and included the islets of Damsay, Grimbister Holm and the village of Finstown. In 1861, the population was 1493. There was some agriculture and oyster-fishing in the parish, with young women being employed in straw-plaiting.
[[Addressee]]
The Revd
William Malcolm
Firth
Kirkwall
[[Survey]]
QUERIES
1. How many Medical Men practice within the Parish of Firth?
1. Three
2. The Names and Addresses of these.
2. Names
Alexr R. Dugald M.D.
John Bremner - Surgeon } Kirkwall1
James Logie – M.D.
3. Has the number increased or diminished of late years?
3. An increase of one.
4. Have any left the Parish since you became connected with it? If so, for what reasons?
4. There never was a medical practicioner2 residing in the parish.
5. Is there any complaint among the people of inadequacy in the supply of Medical aid?
5. None
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. Not for many years.
7. To what extent is the deficiency of qualified Practitioners made up by the efforts of other parties?
7. There is no deficiency in this parish. Medical aid can, under usual circumstances, be sent for & obtained, from one or other of the above excellent medical gentlemen, in the remotest district, within the space of three or four hours.
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. It will be seen, as above, that no deficiency does exist.
9. What Heritors3 are resident, either generally or occasionally, in your Parish?
9. There are above 12 resident heritors;- their Rentals very small. There is one occasional resident who owes4 nearly one third of the whole parish.
[[Additional Text]]
W Malcolm Minr F. Ch. Of Firth.
Explanatory notes:
1. Written vertically.
2. Misspelling of “practitioner”.
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. Misspelling of “owns”.
Remote & Rural Remedies
