Catherine Mcnamara

343

Maureen Withey on 19th December 2021

https://stors.tas.gov.au/CON15-1-5$init=CON15-1-5p40 and https://stors.tas.gov.au/CON15-1-5$init=CON15-1-5p41 Catherine McNamara, Tried at Limerick City, 11 Jan 1848, 7 years. Died at sea, 2nd Sept 1848. -------------------------------------------------------- Surgeon’s Journal of Her Majesty’s Female Convict Ship Kinnear, Mr J. G. Williams, Surgeon Between the 2nd May and 14th October 1848. Adm. 101-040-06 Cathe McNamara, Æt: 25, Convict, was put on the sick list 22nd June and removed into the hospital 2nd Augt, died at sea 2nd Sept 1848. Disease: Melancholia. This convict possessed a weak and delicate constitution, had the melancholic temperament in an exquisite degree – she had been under Medical treatment in the Infirmary of Grange Gorman Penitentiary, previous to her embarkation in the Kinnear. In Kingstown harbour, Dublin, she was thrown into a violent hysterical fit at the sight of a Roman Catholic priest, (who officially and with permission from the authorities in the Castle) visited the prisoners on board, from which fit she was a length of time before she recovered. I may date her illness in the Kinnear from this time, being then first occasion she had of sending for me – after the ship got to sea she was excessively sea sick, and suffered greatly from its depressing effects, and was afterwards constantly complaining of gastric affections as flatulency, loss of appetite, costiveness; with dejection of spirits, great timidity, fancying every moment that the vessel was going down with her, what characterised more particularly her complaint was her fickleness of temper, and fondness for solitude, some of the women stated that she confessed to them that she had committed some very heinous crime which preyed on her mind. To extreme depression of spirits succeeded partial or chronic insanity, which manifested itself by talking incoherently and by strong desire to die or terminate her existence, some attempts at which she made by getting out at the hospital stern-ports, - anxiety for the future and grief for the past was always uppermost in her mind, she also seemed to feel her situation as a convict most keenly, never associating or even talking to any of her fellow prisoners – at last it was impossible to divest her mind from the melancholy train of thought which had taken possession of it, and the mental derangement became quite established, she became sullen and morose, and it was with difficulty that an answer could be got from her, & it was through threats & coakings (coaxing?) that she was at last induced to take any nourishment. To enumerate the daily treatment of this unhappy Convict, would be an unprofitable task; suffice to say ,that every medicine applicable to her care were in turns made use of – the Secretions both biliary and gastric were closely attended to, Tonics, Alteratives, counterirritants, stomachics, stimulants as red wine, which she got every day, with preserved meat soup, Arrowroot, Sago, daily, and in abundance – in short, every attention was paid to her in the hospital, notwithstanding she became greatly reduced, and continued for a considerable time in a helpless state of imbecility, her fæces and urine passing involuntarily, when death put a period to her miserable existence on the above date.