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

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.

479/594 (page 169)

$remunerated, and a fund raised adequate to remiine-r rate him. These two objects, duly attended to, the detail could easily l>e worked out. Every dny, how- ever, tliat is suficred to pass hy unheeded, tends to inrrenso the diflicuUy in res{3ect to the procuring medical aici for tlie poor medical men are coi>tinual- ]y as such diminishing in numher, sonic leave thei? ]>rolession to occupy other stations in society ; s:)me leave the island, and others, (in many cases 1 fear,) v/orn down, broken-lieartetl, and half-starved, pass away from the stai>e of life. These men's places, in the present condiiion of society, can never he filled lip. Already large tracts oi' land in the rural districts; of the island are destitLite of medical men, «nd rjiedi- cal assistance cannot be obtained at uny price. Thi^ is the case even in St. Andrew's, which, from iis oonti;;i'uity to King'ston, ])ossesses advantages whicli are not t(i be found in titose parishes which arc re- duced to one or two doctors, as the whole medical Gtaff of the parish. No. 10. I he coroner of this parish, is John Ry^iei* Brice. He was formerly the proprietor of a small co^^ee plantation in St. Thomas in thf* Vale, he now keeps a ship yard, at t!]C West end of Kingston. He is remunerated for discharging the duties of coroner l)y fees and mileage. Judging from the proceeds of his odice, for ihehist two quarters, [ should think his income might be fairly estimated at £300 per annum, or thereabouts; i am unable to iurnish the isiforma- tion requirerl in the last part Qi thi3 question. To finish this information, reference must be ina(!e to the coroner iiimself who has the inquisitions of the seve- ral inquests \\3 has held since in office. V INo. 11. It the othce of coFoner were necessarily fdled fjy a me(b'cal man, this advantage would accrue, the coroner wouiij then be a man of education. Tho duties, however, of coroner, 1 look upon to be judi- cial and not medical; under isnch an i^nangement, many post mortem examinatiotis might doubtlesfijiy obviated^ iind the attei^aattce of a medical ma^ T$