47

D.—2

from dropsy during convalescence. The ages of the deceased arc as follows: —1 at 11 months, lat 1 year, 2 at 2 years, and 1 at 3 years ; whilst the ages of the dropsy cases were lat 8 years (a weakly com. stitution) and 1 at six years of age. 6. Adults as well as children have also suffered from various sicknesses, but fortunately no deaths have occurred amongst them. 7. The medical register, it will be observed, records the number of patients as amounting to 26 daily for the first week; second week, 28 daily ; third week, 25 daily; fourth week, 22 daily; fifth week, 21 daily; sixth week, 20 daily; seventh week, 12 daily ; eighth week, 15 daily ; ninth week, 19 daily; tenth week, 22 daily; eleventh week, 18 daily ; twelfth week, 15 daily ; thirteenth week, 16 daily; fourteenth week, 15 daily. These were all bedside cases, and do not include those persons seeking relief at the surgery door, nor my corps of little convalescents and weakly children taking from my hands their daily dose of quinine wine or other tonics. 8. We carried with us to the " Woodlark" the infection of scarlet fever of a severe type, and this disease has lasted throughout the whole voyage, for at the time of the passing the ship at Gravesend by the Commissioners, a child of the family of Smith, from Leamington, was suffering from the fever symptoms, consequently the whole of this family was sent ashore, and their bedding thrown overboard, and the first case of the same character occurring at sea was registered 16th December, the last 12th March, Report says that a child of this family (Smith's) has since died, and that the whole family was infected by the same disease. 9. The children throughout the voyage have suffered severely in health, brought up as they most of them have been upon a diet of bread and butter or cheese, with, perhaps, a little fresh meat on Sunday. This can scarcely be wondered at, when that diet, which probably amounted to not less than one pound per day, is suddenly reduced to one-fourth part—viz., Jib. It is true, they had two ounces of rice daily, and other articles; but it appears to me unadvisable to calculate the diet of a child as half, because it is but half an adult according to the Statute. 10. Immediately I noticed the general failing health of the children, I at once ordered hot porridge to be served out every morning. This was at a cost of 24 lbs. oatmeal daily and the consumption of 8 gallons water, which the captain at once allowed, although the condenser was doing very poor duty, and occasionally breaking down. This porridge has done most excellent service, and been highly approved of by all, especially during the cold weather this side of the Line. I also found that the preserved meat for the children was not at all liked, in fact not drawn by some, which, by stewing with pearl barley and rice, made an excellent soup, and of a quality far preferable to most of the soups supplied in tins. 11. In my medical journal I have remarked, under some difficulties (viz., want of time and want of writing accommodation), to some exfent upon all cases of death, and also upon some difficulties in medical practice on board a ship amongst a certain class, and I have now to call your attention to the case of Peter Dalton, aged 1 year, and the means adopted for his, Rosa Harris, and Annie Smith's restoration.

12. At 9 a.m. daily, the whole of the 'tween-decks were visited by the captain and myself conjointly, and immediately upon its termination my first medical visit commenced, lasting till about 12 or 1 o'clock ; and again in the evening, at 7 p.m., I made tho second rounds, lasting till about 9 p.m. Upon one of these occasions 1 noticed this child sitting in the arms of his brother by tho two berths this family occupied. It was a dark part of the ship, but I was very much struck at first by the appearance of the child's naked feet, which were of a purple colour, cold, and somewhat swollen. The mother was confined to bed by a severe attack of rheumatic fever, and the children, six in number, left to the care of a man who, though kind in a certain way to them, seemed to know little of their necessities. I pressed him to let me have the child up in the married couples or single girls' hospital, where Rosa Harris and Annie Smith then were, and placed under the care of two experienced nurses (superintended by the sub-matron) found amongst the single girls. Dalton at once acquiesced in the plan, and I must refer you to the medical register as to the result. This child, the father has repeatedly told me, had literally had no food for fourteen days before its removal, only the allowance of milk according to the dietary scale. The elder children must havo taken from him what little tho scale allowed. It would be interesting to interrogate Dalton upon this subject. Rosa Harris and Annie Smith were also placed under the care of the same females, the latter having been nursed for five consecutive weeks after her scarlet fever attack. The cases of convulsions, and that of enteritis and encephalitis are instructive, as showing the rapidity of the attack and result upon children on board ship. There are also peculiarities about the struma and pyaemia cases. 13. The mortality occurring amongst the children (of mortality amongst adults I have, fortunately, no report to make) proceeding in the several ships to this country, can only be accounted for by their being placed on board ship in an infected state; by the absence of that food necessary to sustain them on the passage, and so readily and easily obtained on shore; by tho length of voyage and life on board ship ; and, I fear, in tho " Woodlark's" case, for the want of true hospitals and hospital convenience, and a beef tea upon which you could depend. With this document I forward a sample of both the beef tea and fresh mutton, the former ununiform and most uncertain in action, sometimes purging violently, at other times dreadfully salt, while the mutton had a peculiar fusty taste, very repugnant to children. Some of the mothers on board proved most excellent women for the duties of nursing their children, others directly opposite, and most of them had large families (as out of the 42 families there were no less than 115 children), and could ill afford to devote much of their time to others in distress. 14. No ship, I presume, goes to sea with an epidemic discovered, therefore it is useless proposing a remedy for that which may not occur on the voyage ; but it appears to me that where families come up to London to embark, one night only in the Poplar Road lodgings, as was the case with the rejected family, will insure an infection of some kind. With regard to soft bread, if the difference is a matter of cost between flour and biscuit, I should not issue any to the single men except in case of sickness. If they have an allowance of one pound of flour per week per man, and that supplied on the Saturday, with the privilege to make and cook a pudding with it and their raisins on the Sunday, they will be perfectly satisfied. The same might be done with the single girls; whilst to the married people,