Doctors of St. Vincent

This website is attempting to list the individuals identified as medical doctors on the island in various record sources for St. Vincent.

COLLINS, John
Two letters from John COLLINS, Esq. of the Island of St. Vincent, addressed to Benjamin VAUGHN, Esq., of London, on the subject of a species of Angina Maligna, and the Use of Capsicum in that and several other diseases. Communicated by Dr. Adair CRAWFORD. Read Jan. 19, 1790.

LETTER I (dated October 22, 1787) describes an outbreak in February 1786 affecting children about the age of four years that brought on a fever, oral secretions and sweats which killed most victims within two weeks of onset. He mentions that several children, both black and white, on his estate (the name of the estate was not given), and other estates, had died from the disease during that time.

SOURCE: (BOOK): Society for Promoting Medical Knowledge, Medical communications. London, 1784-90. Vol. 2 of 2. Pgs. 363 – 384. Chapter XXVII.
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MELVILLE, Alexander
Born in Scotland in 1758, Alexander Melville studied at Edinburgh University, and went to America before moving on to St. Vincent in the 1780′s as an Army Surgeon, Royal Artillery. He later became a Civil Doctor in St. Vincent.
SOURCE: Melville Family Written History 1780′s – 1829
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WEBSTER, Charles
Dr. Charles WEBSTER, Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, and one of the physicians to the army. Dr. WEBSTER obtained the degree of Doctor of Medicine from the University of Edinburgh in 1777;…………..he went out to the West Indies as physician to the army. But not long after his arrival at the island of St. Vincent’s, where he devoted a great part of his time to hospital-duty, he was seized with the yellow fever; and, after a few days illness, fell victim to the disease, on the 5th of December 1795.
SOURCE: Annals of medicine, for the year 1796. … By Andrew Duncan, Sen. M.D. and Andrew Duncan, Jun. M.D. … Vol. I. 2nd edition. Edinburgh, 1799. 475pp. Vol. 1 of 1. Page 421- 422.