Childhood Ailments in Two Mining Towns in North West Tasmania in the Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Century

The discovery of tin in northwest Tasmania precipitated a flood of miners into the area, followed shortly, inevitably by their families. Paediatrics became part of the local doctors’ practice. Childhood ailments excluding infectious diseases in the mining towns of Waratah and Zeehan in north-west Tasmania as documented in the local newspapers a century ago are described. The challenges of working in such a remote environment and the diverse skills expected of a medical practitioner in a situation similar to today’s remote general practice are outlined. Details of the infectious conditions experienced in that environment have been previously published.