-
"Survey return from David Ramsay"
Stromness.
1850.
RCP/COL/4/8/174
David Ramsay was a church minister in Stromness.
Stromness was a parish and a market and seaport town on the Orkney Islands. In 1887, its population was 2410. It had an accessible harbour, with many inhabitants employed in fishing. The parish also had a distillery, ropeworks and shipbuilding yards.
[[Addressee]]
The Rev.
David Ramsay
Stromness
[[Survey]]
QUERIES
1. How many Medical Men practice within the Parish of Stromness?
Three
2. The Names and Addresses of these.
Dr Hamilton Stromness
Dr Garson Stromness1
Dr Ballenden Stromness2
3. Has the number increased or diminished of late years?
Increased by one
4. Have any left the Parish since you became connected with it? If so, for what reasons?
None
5. Is there any complaint among the people of inadequacy in the supply of Medical aid?
Not so far as I know, but much complaint among the poorer classes of their inability to pay for medical aid.
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?
None that I know of – Our medical practitioners manifest their readiness to assist in any such case
7. To what extent is the deficiency of qualified Practitioners made up by the efforts of other parties?
No deficiency
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?
It would be desirable that means were raised to pay for medical aid to the poorer classes.
9. What Heritors3 are resident, either generally or occasionally, in your Parish?
The principal Heritors resident in the Parish are James Spence Esq. Stromness & James Millar Esq. Stromness4 with a great number of small Heritors –
[[Additional Text]]
PS. It is proper to mention that Dr Hamilton is in bad health & not very able to follow his profession – and that the medical services, of the above mentioned gentlemen, are in requisition5 throughout several large parishes – as well as throughout several Islands contiguous to the Parish of Stromness, where there are no medical practitioners –
The above answers are hereby written & attested by David Ramsay Minister of Stromness
Explanatory notes:
1. “Stromness” is represented by the ditto mark ‘do’ in the survey.
2. “Stromness” is represented by the ditto mark ‘do’ in the survey.
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. “Stromness” is represented by the ditto mark ‘do’ in the survey.
5. Text continues onto the addressee page.
Remote & Rural Remedies
