In the days before the advent of the triple zero emergency hotline, residents of Sandgate and its surrounding districts faced the same threats to life and limb as we do today: disease, accidents, and violence.
The stark difference lies in the odds of survival. Advancements in medical treatment and access to specialised care have significantly reduced the likelihood of succumbing to such perils.
This is not to imply that our forebears were devoid of medical attention. Sandgate was fortunate to have several resident doctors. However, these physicians were often overburdened and stretched thin. In 1884, 70-year-old Dr. Henry Girdlestone was summoned to an accident scene in present-day Woodford, a journey that would have taken nearly a day on horseback. Similarly, Dr. Guildford Davidson regularly attended to patients on the Redcliffe Peninsula, necessitating hours of travel.
The Challenges of Early Medical Practice in Sandgate
This constant demand taxed doctors and left other patients without immediate care. A mother who rushed her snake-bitten daughter from the North Pine River to Sandgate in 1894 was fortunate to find Dr. Paul available to treat the child.
General practice in those times truly encompassed a wide range of medical needs. Doctors required diverse skills and experience, from surgical procedures like Dr. Girdlestone successfully reattaching a child’s severed toes to diagnosing and treating cases of food poisoning caused by improperly preserved meat or tinned fish.
More complex cases were referred to the nearest hospital in Herston. Patients from outlying areas like Sandgate endured long and arduous journeys by horse-drawn carriage, dray, or, if lucky, by train. Consider the plight of Mr Roberts, who was struck by a horse-drawn bus in Rainbow Street in 1890 and transported to Brisbane Hospital by the local constable—a journey that would have been far from comfortable.
Without a doctor or for dental issues, one could turn to the chemist. Mr Henry Field, “Chemist, Druggist, and Surgeon Dentist,” opened a shop in Sandgate in 1891, offering dispensing services and “teeth carefully extracted.”
So, the next time you find yourself waiting at a hospital or dental clinic, spare a thought for the resilient individuals who came before us, particularly Mr. Field’s dental patients. His advertisement made no mention of anaesthesia.
Published Date 30-August-2024
