Mr. B. Peterson from Oslo Norway asks, why did the Waratah have different doctors instead of one regular surgeon on her voyages?
Answer; The doctors that signed on the ships articles for the Waratah were usually working their passage say from London to Australia as a means of not having to pay passage money for the voyage and it was the same for the doctors wanting leave Australia to go and work in places within the U.K. or London itself. Some doctors would sign on with ships of other companies just to see the world and at the end of such a round trip were given the option to sign on again if they so desired. The average pay for a ships surgeon was about nine pound per month but in the case of two shipping companies Thompson's Aberdeen Line and Lund's Blue Anchor line, surgeons were not paid. Under the Merchant Shipping Act they were placed on the ships articles and had to be paid 1 shilling per month which they received when signing off the ship. In the case of Doctor H.S. Thomas who was the surgeon on the second voyage of the Waratah to Sydney, he was accompanied by his wife and would have been required to pay only for her meals or a token fare of about 10 pounds, he signed off in Sydney on the 17th of June 1909 and proceeded to Kyogle in Northern New South Wales where commenced a private practice in that town on the 24th of November 1909.
Old style medicine chest.
The surgeons filled two roles on Board the Waratah and other ships,he is the official Medical Officer for the health of the ship, and also of the third class emigrant passengers. In the case of saloon passengers he is purely a practical private practitioner, and is considered to to be at their convenience if called upon, providing the official health of the ship is not in question.
The Merchant Shipping Act at the time required the presence of a duly authorized medical practitioner' on all British Foreign Going Ships Having:
1. More than fifty steerage passengers on board,
2.One hundred or more of a crew,
3. Three hundred or more total souls on board.
The Act states that his services are to be provided Gratis by the owners for steerage or emigrant passengers and crew.
On most ships of that period the medical officer was known by the slang term of PILLS among the officers and crew of the ship.
Ships doctor uniform epaulettes.
To all my readers world wide wishing you a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year
.
Old style medicine chest.
The surgeons filled two roles on Board the Waratah and other ships,he is the official Medical Officer for the health of the ship, and also of the third class emigrant passengers. In the case of saloon passengers he is purely a practical private practitioner, and is considered to to be at their convenience if called upon, providing the official health of the ship is not in question.
The Merchant Shipping Act at the time required the presence of a duly authorized medical practitioner' on all British Foreign Going Ships Having:
1. More than fifty steerage passengers on board,
2.One hundred or more of a crew,
3. Three hundred or more total souls on board.
The Act states that his services are to be provided Gratis by the owners for steerage or emigrant passengers and crew.
On most ships of that period the medical officer was known by the slang term of PILLS among the officers and crew of the ship.
To all my readers world wide wishing you a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year
.
