Report by the Central Board of Health of Jamaica / presented to the legislature under the provisions of the 14th Vic. chap. 60, and printed by order of the Assembly.

  • Jamaica. Central Board of Health
Date:
1852
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report by the Central Board of Health of Jamaica / presented to the legislature under the provisions of the 14th Vic. chap. 60, and printed by order of the Assembly. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by King’s College London. The original may be consulted at King’s College London.

    443/594 (page 133)
    lublic hospital. It is supported entirely hy the legis- atiire. There is a private dispensary supported l>y tidividuals who contribute a small sum each. The emuneration for medical attendance is, 1 am told, mall. The tilth Victoria, chapter eighth, provided hat each parish should have a parochial asylum, and :nthorized the establishing of dispensaries throughout lie islaaid, but it is repealed. 8th. The negro population in general are willing* o take medicines from a dispensary or submit to iiedical treatment if they get it for nothing, but in [lany cases would rather die than pay for it. 9th. 1 am aware of the ninth Victoria, chapter brty-three, and it was never attempted to be carried nto ett'ect in this parish. 1 cannot answer for the >tiier parishes. loth. The coroner's name is Benjamin Naar, a to- bacconist, and lives in Harbour and Hanover streets, uid is remunerated by fees. 11th. A medical practitioner filling the office of ;oroner woul^d, as a man of education, be more com- )etent. 12th. There is a register of births and deaths, and t has been opened for registering since the year one housand eight liundred and forty-four, ])ut it is very ittle used in consequence of no penalty to enforce it. 13th. The diseases have not been attended to. 14th. The rite of marriage is comparatively little Lttended to, and I fear is generally the result of illicit ntercourse of the sexes. 15th. The practice of obeahism and myalism occa- :ionally shews itself. Kith. There are persons uneducated among the ^lack and coloured inhabitants, who assume to them- selves a knowledge of quackery, and no doubt do nischief, but are not easily detected. They take my tiling they can get as remuneration, but they do lot .shew it. 17th. 1 j lave no doubt that deleterious drugs and