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Dr John Ar'l;hur , appointed by Governor G. Arthur as Dputy Inspector-General
of Hospitals and Principal Medical Officer, with instructions to reorgani ze
the convict hospitals and bri.ng the administration into line with the
Imperial Military Hospitals .
reduction in status .
Scott , however, did not long survive his
After a long and severe illness , he died at his
horne 11Boa Vista11 on July 21, 1837, and was buried amidst a large and
representative gatherng of two hundred and fifty people.
Ar.thur 1 s appointment , however, was an unfortunate one .
his recommendations were sensible and he made reasonable attempts to
produce order , he lacked tha personal qualities necessary for success .
Although
His impulsive nature and lack of tact brought him into constant conflict
with Bedford, who was in charge of the Hobart Town Hospital, also with
Frank lin and the Colonial-Secretary . Finally, on September 21, 1838,
he and J. Dunn , the Deputy-Purveyor, were suspended by the Executive Counci l.
Arthur 's place was filled temporarily by Officer , formerly District Assistant
Srgeon at New Norfolk from 1824.
In 1838 Officer was appointed by the
Executive Council to inspect the entire Colonial and Convict Medical
Department which he reported to be in a complete state of disorganization .
Appointed as Temporary Colonial Surgeon on January 18, 1839 , he was
responsib le for Hall's appointment to Bothwell.
In 1840 , with the
appontrnent of Dr John Clarke as Principal Medical Officer , peace was
restored once . again.
Of far greater importance was the announcement by the Courier on
October 29 , 1837, that , at last, after a lapse of more than three years
since permission had bee granted to compile an act , the Legislative Counci l
had determined the legal qualifications of practitioners . On November 25 ,
and November 27, 1837 , two acts
passed.by the Legislative Council.
the attendance of medical witnesses at inquests;
to egulate the Practice of Medicine were
The first act (VR 14) provided for
according to the
circumstances of death, the Coroner was enab led to summon one or more
egally qualified doctors to give evidence and to perform a port-mortem
if necessary .
for a post-mortem;
The fee for attendance was set at one guinea and two guineas
if the inquest were held at a place further than ten
miles from the residence of the doctor , 1/- per mile extra was to be paid
and the coroner was directed to issue a certificate covering the amount
payable by the Colonial-Secretary for the witness 's service .
11legally qualified11•
The second act (VR 17) established who should be declared
For this purpose the act set up a Court of
examiners of seven members appointed by the Lieutenant-Governor .
A person