SURGEON TO THE JAIL
1851, John S. Helmcken was appointed by Governor Douglas as Surgeon to the jail in the bastion of the Fort. He also served as coroner and surgeon for the Hudson's Bay Company until 1885. John didn't retire as physician to the jail until December 31, 1910.
"Anyhow all I had to do at this time was to attend the sick of the Company, and also to strangers who came from the other side for treatment, I really being the only surgeon for many hundred miles. They likewise used to buy various drugs, for which I had to account, but our stock was not very large then, and patent medicines existed not, save Turlington's Balsam and juniper Peppermint. I might have made money out of these sick, but they really looked so poor, and no doubt often were, that I neglected to do so, but in the process of time, I became a celebrity and had lots of patients "from the other side." I had to supply the Hudson's Bay posts throughout the country with the medicines they required. Dozens of bottles of Turlington's Balsam and Essence of Peppermint - grosses of "purges" of jalap and calomel - dozens of emetics of ipecacuanha and tartar emetic and other simples, but bottles and corks were scarce, so that the parcels could not be said to be neat, besides they all had to be put up in small quantities for distribution to subsidiary posts - pills by the thousand, and so forth. At this time I had the power to order anything I wanted in the shape of drugs &c. from England, so ere a year or two had elapsed I had a good store, lots of bottles, corks and ordinary instruments. In those days the Company never made any complaints about this - a considerable quantity of these medicines went to poor Americans and others without charge. The treatment in the interior was simple - an emetic as soon as a man fell ill, followed by a purge - then the man was well or had to get well by simples, the Trader or Factor being the doctor there. Turlington's Balsam, i.e. Tr Benzoin Co. was used for all cuts and wounds - for coughs, colds Dan so forth. No one died - it was always said they had come to Victoria to be able to die. Although these fold lived chiefly on dried salmon and game with very little flour they were a robust, healthy lot." John Sebastian Helmcken (BCARS: ADD.MSS.505, v:12)
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