Doctor BENSON or Quack?

[majm]

Hi there,

I thought we had already established that William Benson was not a quack ...
EDIT TO ADD simply that on the linked thread one of the RChatters had found an instance in the 1880's where an NSW based Dr BENSON had NOT presented to the Colonial Boards the proof that they then required as to his qualifications.  You note he was born in 1815 ... so he was quite an old gent in 1884-6 ... perhaps he was simply not willing to reply to Colonial boards that were set up long after he had gained his medical qualifications.  (Sorry, I did not realise that those added comments had not come through on this post when I first posted it).

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,513004.15.html

Cheers,  JM

[majm]

And,  I see that at reply #1 Dr B J BENSON was noted as qualified /accredited with the NSW Medical Board ...
That Dr B J Benson of Glebe Road ... I will look up my trusty text for Glebe in that era

BACK SHORTLY

Edit 1  Book :  ISBN 9781920831387  "Grandeur & Grit  A History of Glebe" Max Solling ... 2007  ...
Noticing BENSON is in the Index 

Edit 2  William ANDERSON and Barker BENSON began the first medical practice in Glebe in 1871 .....

Edit 3
Also there's a lad, Bill BENSON and his family are shown in a photograph c 1908  in THIS BOOK ....
And there's a W BENSON  shown in another photo in this book c1917.

]Cheers,  JM

[majm]

Hi there,

This may be of interest ...

A doctor, Dr BENSON of the 59th Regiment arrived with other RN Doctors from Portsmouth, to Hobart on Tuesday 3 March, 1835; mentions also Mrs Benson and child. 

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/4181345
Friday 6 March 1835 The Hobart Town Courier

This article suggests that Dr Benson as noted above, was a William Benson
http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/8649848 Tuesday 14 March 1837 Colonial Times

So it seems there's several Dr Benson chaps in the Antipodes in the 19thC ...  I note also that a Dr Benson arrived in Hobart from Sydney on 10 Jan 1835 (so could not be the same chap on that ship from Portsmouth) as per the online index at  http://www.archives.tas.gov.au/nameindexes and of course there's Dr Barker J Benson arriving into NZ in 1841 as per

.............Dr Barker Joseph Benson was born in Whitby, England in 1815. He travelled to NZ in 1841, and was on the Central Coast, NSW by 1842. I believe he was a Clerk when he left England, and was a storekeeper on the Central Coast in 1842.  By 1848, still on the Central Coast, he performed a post mortem for the coroner.......

 

Cheers,  JM

[majm]

More Info 
NSW Medical Board ... 
4 Jan 1861
List gives an interesting clue as to the purpose of THE LIST
To define persons who have submitted their testimonials of qualification to that board SO THAT the board can then determine those Medical Practitioners who are suitably qualified as Medical Witnesses at Coroners Inquests and Inquiries held before Justices of the Peace in the Colony of NSW ... 

I read that to indicate that Medical Practioners who don't want to be witnesses at Coroners Inquests were not required to submit themselves for the Board to confirm or request their medical qualifications

See the NSW Government Gazette Pt 1, pg 42 1861 January.
The Doctor whose name appears on one of the d.c. for one of my forebears who died in 1860 in NSW is NOT on this list.   Some years ago I confirmed he was a legit doctor.  Now I realise why I have not found him on that list  As there is NOT any doctor with the surname BENSON on that list either perhaps neither wanted to be called away to Coroner's Inquests

Dr Benson is NOT on the list for 1870 either, however the heading on that list only says that the list is a List of Medical Practioners prepared in accordance with the Act of Parliament of NSW 2nd Vic No. 22  (this detail was on the 1861 list)

Dr William John ANDERSON ... a Fellow of Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh 1848 is on both the 1861 and the 1870 list, so perhaps Dr ANDERSON could rely on Dr BENSON to take care of their patients if he (Dr A) needed to attend to Coroners matters.  (Dr Anderson .... I mentioned him re the medical partnership at Glebe with Dr Barker BENSON)

Cheers,  JM

 

[Aussie1947]

In the Sydney Morning Herald Saturday 30 September 1843 on page 1 there was a noticewhich reads.

A CARD--CARCOAR
Dr BENSON, MD., M.R.C.S.L.,
may be consulted at Beau-Desert on
the Coombing Estate, late the residence of
Major Bowler

.

Maybe this is our Dr B J Benson which shows his Qualifications.

Gerry

[Aussie1947]

The "Catherine Stewart Forbes" arrived at Port Nicholson NZ on 24th June 1841 after leaving Gravesend England on 5th February 1841.

Cabin passenger, Joseph Benson Barker, 26, no occupation.  (booked to return by the same ship)

Steerage  passenger, Barker Joesph Benson (no age or occupation)

Were these two listed passengers the same person!

Barker's future wife Hannah Vandervord (17) was also on board.

Regards
Gerry

[carna]

Hi all,

Thank again for the replies. Much appreciated.

I believe the Dr Benson that went to Tasmania was a different Dr Benson. Thanks anyway.

The post regarding Dr Barker J Benson in Carcoar, is the right Barker Benson, and the initials after his name might  be a clue to his qualifications?

Thanks heaps.
Carna

[Billyblue]

Hi all,
The post regarding Dr Barker J Benson in Carcoar, is the right Barker Benson, and the initials after his name might be a clue to his qualifications? Thanks heaps.
Carna

Yes they might, but they are not regular 'post nominals'
MD is an American usage normally.
If he was a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in UK then it would be MRCS.  That is the highest membership.  He' hardly be old enough to have had that much experience.  Usually it is FRCS for Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons.  Being UK they deem that they don't need to say that it's London       These days he'd have to be at least 10 years out of Uni to have studied enough to gain his FRCS.

The only likely translation I could think of for MRCSL would be Member of Royal College of Surgeons Louisiana to go with the MD - but I'm pretty sure there wouldn't be such a body in that day and age. Of course I could be wrong.
Can't think of where else the L in the initials could mean.

Dawn M

[majm]

In the Sydney Morning Herald Saturday 30 September 1843 on page 1 there was a noticewhich reads.

A CARD--CARCOAR
Dr BENSON, MD., M.R.C.S.L.,
may be consulted at Beau-Desert on
the Coombing Estate, late the residence of
Major Bowler

.

Maybe this is our Dr B J Benson which shows his Qualifications.

Gerry

Tis very similar to the one here some six weeks ago http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,513004.0.html at reply #10 with info from SMH Thursday 28th September 1843.

I note that Dr Anderson's qualifications from 1848 are easy to check, and that Dr Anderson and Dr Benson had a practice together in GLEBE ...   

Question for Carna Have you considered contacting the author of that book that I cited ... he may well have research information that was not published ....

Cheers JM