The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-09-13 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

SURGEON'S DIARY OF A VOYAGE TQ MELBOURNE,
Australia, with Four Hundred Passengers. By
James Richard Smyth, M.D., Surgeon, Authnr
of "Miscellaneous Contributions to Pathology
and Therapeutics," &c. Liverpool : Hewson
and Procter. 1860.

THIS is a careful and minute record, by the
surgeon, de die in diem, of all that occurred
amongst the passengers and crew in the medical
department cif Messrs. James Baines and Co.'s '
good, ship Greyhound, during a pleasant voyage
to Melbourne, Australia, commencing on the 6th
October, 1858, and ending on the 10th January,
1859. This Diary cannot ihil to be interesting
and useful both to passengers and - surgeons, as a
fair example of .what usually transpires in this
department of life on board ship, and as a good
model of the manner in which such an account
may be kept. There were four deaths and three
births on board, and two or three marriages
arranged to take place on landing. The captain
celebrated one baptism on bcw.rd• The. Diary
contains abundant evidence of the care and
anxiety of - the surgeon, captain, purser, and
officers, to do, everything within their power to
promote the health and cheerfulne of the
passengers under their care; and what is better,
they seem to have succeeded wonderfully. The
importance of the suggestion contained in the
concluding paragraph of the Diary, seems to
warrant us in quoting it entire. It is as
follows :—...
A. few remarks on the very great utility, let me say'
as I think, the merciful humanity and goodness of having
an experienced female nurse appointed to every emigrant
ship, carrying a large number of
it woo he, under the directions of gtehr3;
attend upon the seriously and
that their medicines are duly whose
doctors, to
d dangerously ill ;to see
an properly administered ;
to properly prepare their drinks and delicate diets, such
as broths, soups, gruels, &c and auminister them
regularly. The services of such a person en boaidsome
emigrant ships would, lam convinced, aid not a little
in the recovery of man a sick
passenger, whose illness
I might otherwise come ttayo aodfifftehreentmex, clotoNvltchesrtandii,ig
the most skilful efforts
nearest relatives, at sea, as A have seen, sometimes
become inditorent and inattvitive. They get worn out
perhaps,Pl4 so the poor patient is consequenilv neglected.
lain sorry to say tha, from what I have witnessed, in
having frequently crossed the Atlantic to America, in
charge of the medical department of emigrant ships, I
can remember some unfortunate indiYfaulals who, I
cannot avoid thinking, instead of homes in " The West"
found their graves in the ocean: for want of proper care
and attention during their illnesses. It. cannot and
ought not to be expected that the physician or surgeon
would be called upon to discharge the duties of nurse as
well as his own, although, if he be a humane and feeling
man, he will find frequent opportunities of clanE,.
so at
sea. Eveii during this voyage to Australia, the medical
tsa
diary of which lam now concluding, I regret o
that I was faefrom satisfied with the condnet of some -f
the relatives of two of the cases which proved fatal. lily
efforts to better the condition of the y
sufferers were cer-
tainly not assisted in the manner I should have wished,

CORRESPONDENCE.

GARIBALDI SPECIAL FUND.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE DAILY TIMES.
.SlR,—Will you permit us, through your columns, to
state to all gentlemen throughout the kingdom who
hold monies collected in the name, and for the use of
General Garibaldi, that they are hereby requested to
pay forthwithhwhatever money they keld in hand,
either to U. B. C. Leverson, Esq., treasurer, at the
--office- of the committee, 8, Salisbury-street, Strand,
London, W.C. ; or to W. li. Ashnrst, Esq., solicitor,
4, old Jewry, such being the General's wish.—We
are &c., P
_ ERCY WYNDHAM, Major.
" WILLIAM DE ROHAN,
Naval Aide-de-Camp to General Garibaldi.
EDWARD STYLES, Captain.
Committee-room, 8, Salisbury-street, Strand,
London, W.C., September 11.

HIGHLAND VOLUNTEERS.