A nice day. Calm + with a good deal of sun. A little hoar frost in the morning: mild. Cycled first thing to Newarkburn. Saw Dav.1 begin removal of epitheliomas from Johnstone, the Yarrow man’s [? throat] whom I didn’t recognise with his moustache off.2 Then I cycled to Ettrickbridgend where Jas. Mitchell I found had Scarlatina.3 Saw a Mrs J Neil4 at Fauldshope whom Dav. attended on Tuesday. Cycled altogether 26 miles miles + felt the better of it. Mrs Barton5 sent me some mealy puddings.6
1 David Charteris ‘Dav.’ Graham (1889-1963), M.B., Ch.B., medical practitioner and Dr Muir’s business partner.
2 It is not possible to identify Johnstone from this description.
3 This may refer to James Mitchell, junior (1886-1951), or perhaps James Mitchell, senior (about 1854-1929). At the 1921 Census the family comprised James Mitchell senior aet 67, James Mitchell junior, 35, Mary Richardson Mitchell, 33, Isabella Shiel Mitchell, 26, and Eliza Dalgleish Mitchell, 25.
4 Mrs Neil is as yet unidentified.
5 This probably refers to Rebecca or Rebekah Monti Garden Barton née Grant (1867-1932), wife of Andrew Barton, farmer, married 1892 at Stirling (she was born Moulin, Perthshire, survived pneumonia and died aet 65 in 1932 at Upper Tofts, Cavers, Roxburghshire). At this time the family was at Oakwoodmill, Selkirk, comprising parents Andrew and Rebekah and four children Agnes Turnbull Barton (1896-1965), James Forbes Grant Barton (1893-), Simon Grant Barton (1900-) and Peter Grant McGregor Barton (1909-) [1921 Census].
6 Mealy puddings are traditionally mixtures that include oats, salt, onions and beef suet, but not blood.
[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 