Remote & Rural Remedies

"Survey return from George Garson"

Stromness.

1851.

RCP/COL/4/8/251

George Garson was a medical practitioner in Stromness.

Stromness was a parish and a market and seaport town on the Orkney Islands. In 1887, its population was 2410. It had a good and accessible harbour, with many inhabitants employed in fishing. The parish also had a distillery, ropeworks and shipbuilding yards.

---

[[Addressee]]
Dr Garson
Stromness

[[Survey]]
QUERIES

1. How long have you practiced in the locality you at present occupy?

14 years

2. What are the ordinary and what the greatest distances which you have to travel in visiting patients?

Stromness is a village wherein three medical practitioners at present
reside who attend the sick in the neighbouring parishes and seldom exceed the
distance of eighteen miles in their journeying

3. What means of conveyance do you employ in going long journeys?

on horse back – there is
a little boating to two Islands.

4. What is the state of the roads in your neighbourhood?

Bad generally beyond four miles
from the town.

5. Is the position of medical men in general in your quarter improved, or otherwise, of late years?

In 3 of the
Parishes attened¹ from Stromness the Parochial Boards² have given Salaries for
the poor whereby not only the legal poor but also others truly poor have the
advantage of having a medical practitioner more frequently amongst them and
their complaints attended to - other 3 Parishes chiefly visited by Stromness Prac-
titioners either have the advice of the Clergymen or trust in the regular practitioner
for gratuitous assistance to the poor and consequently have not the advan-
-tages they ought to possess besides being a tax upon the medical practitioners
In other respects there is no change on the position of our medical men except
what results from character & education.

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?

Midwifery cases are at present chiefly (out of the Village) attended by
females & a change in this respect would add much to the work of the
medical men and I cannot therefore answer this question. I think the
present medical men would overtake a district equal to what
they now occupy even with the above addition

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?

one advantage taken by the
whole of the Parochial Board of the sum allowed for medical relief
in Scotland as at present distributed by the Board of Supervision.
It would be advantageous to both medical men & the poor
generally.

[[Additional text]]

George Garson

---

Explanatory notes:

1. Misspelling of “attended”.
2. Following the Poor Law Amendment (Scotland) Act of 1845 parochial boards were set up in each parish to administer poor relief.