TB Death at Carrickmagrath, Donegal

[tarnabug]

Hello from NZ
I have a relative who was born and bred in Lanarkshire, Scotland, but who died of TB (consumption) after 5 months illness in Carrickmagrath, Donegal, Ireland in 1894.  His wife of 2 years remained in Lanarkshire, but his father from Paisley, Scotland was present at his death.
Any ideas why a Scotsman went to Carrickmagrath to die of TB???
Would there be a TB hospital there??

[aghadowey]

Your other post mentions his name as John Docherty. Docherty/Doherty, etc. is probably the most common surname in Donegal so perhaps the family came from there originally and John was sent away to Ireland for fresh, country air. Or he could have been working in Ireland when he took ill.

"In 1961, a former, unsuitable, dispensary depot at Carrickmagrath was closed" http://debates.oireachtas.ie/dail/1964/04/14/00007.asp#N4

[kingskerswell]

Hi
    Dispensaries were set up in 1851 by an amendment to the Poor Law Ireland Act so that that poor people had access to a doctor who was reasonably local. I do not have detail of Donegal but in County Londonderry, in the Limavady Poor Law Union if some poor person required medical treatment he had to travel to Londonderry, a distance of up to 25 miles for some. Dispensaries were set up in Feeny, Dungiven, Ballykelly, Bellarena and Limavady. Poor people could get tickets from a local inspector to avail of free treatment. In 1947 , when the health service came into being, these became doctors surgeries for all people. As a boy I talked of going to the dispensary in Bellarena if I had to see the doctor , not using the modern terms of surgery or health centre. The dispensaries slowly faded away in the 1950s but it is still possible to see the decrepit building with the faded sign showing where the Bellarena Dispensary is slowly crumbling.

Regards

[tarnabug]

Thanks for your responses!
John was a Spirit Salesman, so perhaps that work took him to Ireland.
Both of his parents were also from Scotland, but nothing to say that he didn't have more distant relatives in Ireland.
If one got TB, would it be likely they could stay with family or would they be put in quarantine as such to prevent the risk or spreading?

Thanks
Amy

[Quaxer]

Tarnabug

I assume the death was caused by Pulmonary TB  (Phthisis). Until 1909 it was not made a notifiable disease which would have required sanitary officers to isolate sufferers under the Infectious Disease (Notification) Act 1889.
Although it was as early as 1865 when its highly contagious nature was determined, it took all those years before positive steps were taken. It was not until 1896 that a special hospital was opened i.e T he Royal National Sanatorium for Consumption at Newcastle, Co. Wicklow and this had only 12 beds for the whole island.
Infection is generally caused by inhaling the dried airborne tubercle bacilli from the sputum of a sufferer.
I hope this is of use to you.
Regards
Quaxer

[tarnabug]

Hi Quaxer

That is very helpful information.  Thank you for taking the time to write to me.
Yes you are correct that he had pulmonary TB (for 5 months) - which still makes me wonder why he didn't go home to his wife of 2 years in Scotland, rather than staying in Ireland.  Hmmmmm....

Regards
Tarna

[derrylass]

The 1911 census for Carrickmagrath has a Doherty family
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Donegal/Goland/Carrickmagrath/

 - the 1901 census for Goland DED is missing from National Archives site.

[Billyblue]

Amy
Maybe he didn't go home to his family in an effort to prevent infecting them too.
Or they asked him not to, for the same reason.    

Dawn M