“Doc of the Bay” John White was the saviour of the First Fleet

Doctor John White had one job: keep as many prisoners alive as possible during the eight-month voyage. And he did, with many having a greater hope of survival than if they stayed at home.

John White was the head physician on the First Fleet.

When almost 1500 souls including hundreds of malnourished convicts set off for Botany Bay, it was expected many would die in the harsh conditions on the eight-month trip.

So it’s testimony to the heroic dedication of head physician John White that the death rate on the First Fleet was slightly lower than the death rate back in England at the time.

The story of the “saviour of the First Fleet” is told in the latest episode of the free In Black and White podcast on Australia’s forgotten characters, with historian Jim Haynes, from his new book, Heroes, Rebels and Radicals of Convict Australia:

“He did his job – and he did it remarkably well,” Haynes says.

“I do admire him because he got the first fleet of 11 ships, and 777 convicts and five or 600 administrators and soldiers and marines and their wives and children, and he got them here with great care.

“It was his job to get everybody all that distance, 13,000 nautical miles, in good health – and he did it.”

The First Fleet in Sydney Cove in 1788. Picture: National Library of Australia

With England’s prisons overcrowded, many of the convicts were in poor health before the voyage after spending months crammed onto floating prison hulks in appalling conditions.

Before the voyage, White issued a series of demands to First Fleet commander Captain Arthur Phillip and his deputy, John Hunter, to protect the convicts’ health and save lives.

“He just said, ‘Look, these convicts, I want them unloaded, I want them to have fresh air, I want them to have fresh fruit, and you’re to clean these ships top to bottom with lime to get rid of all the germs and contagion and so on,” Haynes says.

“And the convicts had to have fresh air on deck whenever possible, and he just really laid down the law to the people who were in charge of the expedition, and they showed him great respect.

“The death rate on the First Fleet was a little less than the actual death rate back in Britain for the normal population.”

On the eight-month voyage, only 34 convicts died, with 48 deaths overall.

Heroes, Rebels and Radicals of Convict Australia by Jim Haynes.

Entertainer and historian Jim Haynes.

At every stop along the way, White went out in search of quality food to keep the passengers healthy and prevent scurvy.

“And he was very egalitarian, everybody got the same food, it didn’t matter if you were Arthur Phillip or the most miserable convict, he looked after you,” Haynes says.

To find out more, listen to the interview in the free In Black and White podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or web.

See In Black & White in the Herald Sun newspaper every Friday for more stories and photos from Victoria’s past.