Although the part of the country in which our mines are situated is
almost unequalled for salubrity, yet the miners as a class are not of
robust health: most of them look pale and haggard. The work underground,
excessive toil, discomforts, and neglects, too often bring on disease.
Singularly enough, accidents seldom occur. Cramps, colds, rheumatism,
bad eyes, diarrhœa and dysentery are the prevalent complaints. The
sitting on the damp ground induces piles. Most attacks of sickness
resolve themselves into fevers of the low typhoid type, as the powers of
life are soon exhausted there, and medical men have but few appliances.
A great mistake arises from persons delaying a visit to the doctor. In
many cases recovery is hopeless, from long continued neglect. Some will
be for six or eight weeks under dysenteric attack before seeking relief.
Then, too often, though they offer all their gold, no aid can be
rendered. The doctor’s fee is usually ten shillings at his tent, a pound
for a visit near, and two or five pounds elsewhere, according to
distance. When a medical man is consulted in time, he may often see it
right to send his patient at once to town, as from experience he knows
the difficulty of providing proper nourishment and attendance during the
period of convalescence. Yet instances are not unknown, nay, they are
common, of kindness and christian charity towards the sick, even from
strangers. An old man, that from ill health was unable to join a party,
was tended by some neighbours for three weeks, who not only paid all
expenses of such sickness besides, but actually gave £20 to get the poor
creature conveyed to an hospital. If the diggings are so unpleasant a
place for ordinary attacks of illness, it may be supposed that they are
not the most comfortable home for a new mother. Yet on some occasions
neither doctor nor nurse has been present. Deaths at the mines are by no
means so frequent as may be imagined. At the Loddon cemetery I saw but
eleven graves, four of which were unenclosed; no memorial appeared over
any mound.
My friend and mate at the diggings, R. T. Tracy, Esq., M.D., has
favoured me with a few hints which he thinks may be of service to his
old friends at the mines. He desires to enforce upon their attention the
necessity of regarding their mode of living; as, carelessness in
preparing meals, lying on the ground, not guarding against night chills,
neglect of damp clothes, and want of variety in articles of diet, are
the fruitful sources of disease. He would recommend them to get
potatoes, beef, onions, preserved fish and things called luxuries as
often as they can. A filter in the dry season is invaluable; as bad
water produces dysentery. In attacks of diarrhœa and dysentery, much
mischief is done by persisting in the use of soda-damper and fat mutton;
broths, arrowroot and leavened bread ought then only to be taken. Dr.
Tracy would, also, recommend that a store at the diggings be allowed to
sell port wine for strictly medicinal purposes, upon orders from medical
men, as at present the sick can only obtain this stimulant by
sanctioning the sly grog shops, at which, too, a bad article is sold at
an exorbitant price.