PDF (Whole thesis) - UTas ePrints - University of Tasmania

75
weak, that it was distressing to look at him . But the Synnotts made
no attempt to find out the cause, nor to seek any medical aid . A month
later, on March 8, though still very sick, he was made to walk sixty
miles to Oatlands leading the stallion cart horse, Bolivar, \vhich needed
to be shod. On his return, after another sixty miles ' walk, on
Saturday, March 12, he was so ill and weak that he went to bed. The
hut he lived in had no glass in the \vindows and was a considerable
distance from the Synnotts ' house. Although he begged his master to
send for medical assistan_ce , Synnott refused and with "an utter disregard
for consequences" bled him and gave him a dose of Epsom salts . For two
weeks he lay in the hut unattended; the cook from the Synnotts ' hous e,
too busy with the stock, rarely visited him to bring bread and tea which
was all he could take; he was not even supp lied with a utensil to
prevent exposing himself to the weather both day and night during the
frequent calls of nature; one night he was found in the bush, almost
insens ib le, too weak to cra\vl back to the hut; no one kne\v ho\v long he
had been lying there ; to satisfy his thirst he was even forced to crawl
dO\vn to the river to get water himself. He begged Synnott to send him
to hospital .
On March 20, t\vO \veeks before his death , the Synnotts , who
still refused to send for the District Surgeon, called the Prisoner
Dispenser of the Victoria Valley party. Mills , a prisoner \vho acted
as a medical attendant to the gang , set out on foot to cover the thirteen
or fourteen miles across most rugged country to reach the Hermitage .
No horse was supp lied for him either way; he was even lost for some time
in the bush. During his absence from Victoria Valley he left one to two
hundred men completely \vi thout any form of medical aid at a time \vhen
sickness \vas very prevalent . On his arrival he sa\v Sadler for \vhom he
prescribed sago gruel and a "mustard poultice !!!" [Hall's exclamation
marks1 to the neck. The poultice was applied, but the Synnotts refused
to send to Bothwell for the sago as a man would have to be taken off
shearing the lambs. For eight days Sadler lay on the bed unab le to
ris e; he could not drink; stools lay under him; he had pains in the
stomach . The hut was so offensive that no one liked to go near him.
On Sunday , April 3, Synnott ordered that Sadler be driven in a bullock
cart to the hospital in Hobart Town, a distance of fifty-five rriles an(!
a journey of three days , although he knew an ass igned servant could not r.o
- to a hospital without the approval of the District Assistant Surgeon,
a history of previous treatment , and a bond for fees . But as there were