4 September 1920 diary of Dr John Stewart Muir (1845-1938) of Selkirk

Some rain in the morning + a gale first S.W. then N.W. + cold. Motored to Faldonside making some calls on the way. Miss Dees¹ had restless night + temp. not as low as usual. Swelling much less. Took all the wadding off her head. In the evening she was feeling better: had neither headache nor backache but slight squint. Gave her Proxx Bromide to ʒ¹/₁ casc evac.² Rob Currie³, Byethorn broke his left fibula. Gave him gas while David [Graham] put it up. H. + D.⁴ were at Shawpark helping Boylan⁵ to entertain the children of Bishop of Barrow⁶ who is taking McCall’s⁷ place.

¹ Phyllis Mary ‘Fiff’ Dees (1899-1920) had suffered a head injury in a car accident 24 August 1920; she was the daughter of Robert Irwin Dees (1872-1923) and Edith Mary Boileau Dees née Henderson, the new (1920) tenants at Faldonside

² It is not clear what the XX refers to, but an ever-helpful follower has pointed out that the ʒ symbol represents one dram (or drachm) and the following symbol is for one tablet. So, it appears he gave her 1 dram of potassium bromide (as a sedative) in the form of one tablet. 1.77 grams – Casc. or Cascara Evac. is a mild laxative from the plant Rhamnus purshiana marketed by Parke, Davis & Co., now part of Pfizer

³ Robert Currie (c.1875-1934), hosiery manufacturer, son of Robert Currie (about 1857-1923), woollen hosiery manufacturer, and Mary Murray; married 1stly, 1898, Maggie Brown (died 1899) and, 2ndly, 1906, Julia Johnston Lindsay (died 1961). He lived at Byethorn, Selkirk [where the Selkirk High School is today]

⁴ Helen Frances ‘Mousey’ Muir (1880-1963) and Andrina Dorothy ‘Dora’ Muir (1882-1978), Dr Muir’s third and youngest daughters respectively

⁵ John Dun Boylan (1850-1924), civil engineer, acquaintance of Dr Muir, sometime of Shawmount, Selkirk

⁶ The Bishop of Barrow, 1909-1926, was the Right Reverend Campbell West Watson (1877-1953), who held it in plurality with a Residentiary Canonry at Carlisle Cathedral until 1921, then with the Rectory of Aldingham, near Ulverston, Cumbria, he later became Bishop of Christchurch, New Zealand; nowhere is he referred to as being at Selkirk and from Alumni Cantabrigienses it is quite clear that he never held a living in Scotland, nor does it record that he had children, whereas Mr McCall had lost his wife Mabel Lovat Armstrong in 1917 and had children Mabel Mona (1911-), John Grice Armstrong (1913-), Alan George (1914-) and Arthur James (1916-)

⁷ Alumni Cantabrigienses notes that James George McCall, rector of St John’s Episcopal Church 1910-1921, moved to Jordanhill, Glasgow in 1921

[Source: Scottish Borders Archives & Local History Service SBA/657/23, Dr J S Muir of Selkirk, medical practitioner, journal for 1920]