The beginning of 1850 was a time of much excitement in Brisbane Town. The Commissariat Office was seeking tenders for purchase of the “Old Windmill,” a venerable structure of some twenty-two years’ standing, and if no-one bought it, the Government was inclined to knock it down. The post office had received a small supply ofContinue reading “The Fatal Race.”
Category Archives: 19th Century Medicine and First Aid
A Fatal Error
How a terrible mistake cost a life and changed the law. OFFICIAL NOTIFICATIONS. [From today’s Government Gazette.] MEDICAL BOARD. – Henry Duckers and Robert James Hance, of Brisbane; and James Wilkinson, of Townsville, have been admitted as chemists and druggists. The Brisbane Courier, July 8, 1882. Sophia Jacobi’s baby James Francis Jacobi turned seven monthsContinue reading “A Fatal Error”
The Health of the Colony – Free Settlement
FROM CONVICT HOSPITAL TO GENERAL HOSPITAL Sick people – please advise The years 1841and 1842 saw settlers, servants, merchants and labourers moving into or through the township. It seems to have escaped the notice of the Government that these people might need services and infrastructure in order to carve out their existence in Moreton Bay.Continue reading “The Health of the Colony – Free Settlement”
The Health of the Colony – the Convict Era
The Convict Hospital When the Moreton Bay penal colony closed for business in 1842 and became a town, the official records dispersed, mainly to Sydney. Many were lost, some fetched up in unusual places, but a remarkable number of documents survived the ensuing 200 years. The records of the Moreton Bay Hospital have largely survivedContinue reading “The Health of the Colony – the Convict Era”
DIRECTIONS FOR RESTORING THE APPARENTLY DEAD.
In the course of researching coup de soleil, or sunstroke, in early Queensland, I came across this article in the Maryborough Chronicle. Not only does it have the most wonderful title, it gives a picture of first aid used in the 19th century. A good deal of what Dr Silvester directed is still part ofContinue reading “DIRECTIONS FOR RESTORING THE APPARENTLY DEAD.”
Hot Enough For You?
english settlers go out in the midday sun “Hot enough for you?” It’s one phrase guaranteed to further raise the temperature of anyone who ventures outdoors in Queensland between November and March. The temptation is to inform the questioner of your unvarnished opinion of their mental state, IQ, standard of personal hygiene, and the questionableContinue reading “Hot Enough For You?”
Moreton Bay and More 