A dull blowy day with rain at times + a glint of sunshine. My cold wearing off. Rose to breakfast but did not go out any further than Viewfield1 (to see Miss More2) + Church. Made out Factory + Parish returns3 + cleared up the record card confusion4. Mrs Mack5 came to supper. All the Wellwooders6 came to wish me a “Happy New Year”. Dav.7 had Fraser8 out seeing Miss More.
1 Viewfield Nursing Home, in other words Dr Muir went no further than the other side of Scott’s Place
2 Miss More has not been identified though it may be possible to do so when the 1921 Census is published early this year
3 The Selkirk County Annual Report of the Medical Officer of Health for 1921 was by William Nicol Watson Kennedy (1888-1961), O.B.E., M.D., D.P.H. and Medical Officer of Health and School Medical Officer for Selkirkshire, 1921-about 1924;, so the Editor assumes that Dr Muir was preparing his contributions to that report
4 The Muir and Graham medical co-partnership had changed its administration and Dr Muir was undertaking onerous work on record cards which included the so-called Summary cards
5 Agnes Mackintosh née Watson, formerly Harper (1859-1946), of Elm Park, Selkirk
6 The Wellwooders were John ‘Jack’ Roberts junior (1876-1966), Agnes Amelia ‘Nancy’ Roberts née Muir (1878-1948) and their children Andrina Barbara Henderson ‘Barbara’ Roberts, later Thwigg (1902-1996), John Stewart ‘Jock’ Roberts (1904-1950), Louisa Jane Roberts, later Rutherford (1906-1982), Stewart Muir ‘Little Stewart’ Roberts (1908-2003) and George Edward ‘Tim’ Roberts (1911-2005)
7 David Charteris ‘Dav.’ Graham (1889-1963), M.B., medical practitioner and Dr Muir’s business partner
8 Assume the Dr Fraser referred to in Dr Muir’s diary of Wednesday 29 January 1919 “Smith, the Firs, was found to have appendicitis. He was taken to Mauldsheugh where he was operated on by Mr Fraser at 5. I gave Chlor[oform]. Fraser is a beautiful operator + the result was successful in the removal of an inflamed appendix.” [see SBA/657/22/15 and also SBA/657/22/16 and SBA/657/22/32]
This may well refer to Sir John Fraser (1885-1947), 1st Baronet, KCVO MC FRSE FRSEd., who, after war service as an army surgeon when he was successful in stitching up a gunshot wound to a heart, was at this time surgeon to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children and the Royal Infirmary and, was from 1925, Regius Professor of Clinical Surgery at Edinburgh University
[Source: Scottish Borders Archives & Local History Service SBA/657/25, Dr J S Muir of Selkirk, medical practitioner, journal for 1922]
Rumbling Clint's Scottish Notes 