-
"Survey return from Charles Robertson"
Gairloch, Rossshire.
1851.
RCP/COL/4/8/236
Charles Robertson was a medical practitioner in Gairloch.
Gairloch was a parish and a village in the historic County of Ross. In 1831, the population was 4445. The main industry was agriculture and fishery.
[[Addressee]]
C. Robertson Esq
Surgeon
Gairloch
Rossshire
[[Survey]]
QUERIES
1. How long have you practiced in the locality you at present occupy?
Five years
2. What are the ordinary and what the greatest distances which you have to travel in visiting patients?
Ordinary distance 10 or 12 miles
Greatest dist 20 miles
3. What means of conveyance do you employ in going long journeys?
A Pony - Riding
4. What is the state of the roads in your neighbourhood?
There are still some parts
in which there is merely a Foot track – This
was generally the case untill1 recently when Roads
were made by the Dest: Committee2
5. Is the position of medical men in general in your quarter improved, or otherwise, of late years?
The Position of medical men have
not improved since I became first acquainted
with this locality
6. Supposing the people of the Highlands and Islands were generally able to pay for medical
advice, according to rates usually observed in other parts of the kingdom, what extent of
country in your locality would you regard as sufficient to occupy a single practitioner
fully?
One medical man might attend to
the Parish except during the prevalence
of Epidemics
7. Mention, if you please, any special hardships incident to your situation, such as you think
might be remedied by some general measure or enactment?
The principal Greivance3 of which I have &
which I think the generality of practitioners
with just cause complain of; is the inability
of the people in general to pay
I have the Minimum allowance from the
Poorlaw Board4 and the Govt. Grant for Medical
Relief for attending to the Poor – but when
I mention that during the time I have been
in this paris-h Private practice has not
averaged five-pounds per Annum, that
the population of the Parish is about five
thousand this will be sufficiently evident
[[Additional text]]
Charles Robertson
Surgeon
Explanatory notes:
1. Misspelling of “until”.
2. Destitution Committee set up by the Free Church of Scotland in response to the Highland Potato Famine.
3. Misspelling of “grievance”.
4. Following the Poor Law Amendment (Scotland) Act of 1845 parochial boards were set up in each parish to administer poor relief.
Remote & Rural Remedies
