Historical archaeology, paternalism and the Peel Island Lazaret

448 Pages·2015·16.33 MB·English

‘Intended solely for their greater comfort and happiness’:
Historical archaeology, paternalism and the Peel Island Lazaret
Jonathan Mark PrangneU BA (Hons)
Department of Anthropology and Sociology
A thesis submitted to the University of Queensland in fulfillment
of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy
November 1999

The work presented in this thesis is, to the best of my knowledge and belief, original
and my own work, except as acknowledged in the text, and this thesis has not been
submitted, either in whole or in part, for a degree at this or any other university.
Jonathan Mark Prangnell
Abstract
The research presented in this dissertation centres on an historical archaeological
analysis of the Peel Island Lazaret. The Lazaret was located on Peel Island in
Queensland’s Moreton Bay and operated between 1907 and 1959. It was an isolated,
patemalistically run institution for the treatment of Hansen’s Disease. In this study I
use the historical archaeological investigation of the lives of the inmates and staff at
the Lazaret to examine the role of paternalism as a governing force in the organisation
of the place and in the lives of the people forced to live within its boundaries. From
this analysis I generate information on the formal and disciplinary power relations that
operated to develop and maintain the Lazaret.
To undertake this study I develop a methodology based on Kosso (1991) that uses the
distinct, epistemic entities of different written sources and the archaeological record
to maintain the unique domain of each, yet determine their interrelatedness. This
ensures the validity of the original basis for any interpretation of the archaeological
phenemona. The written records of the Lazaret are divided into those written during
the operation of the place and those written after the closure of the Lazaret and that
look back upon it. They differ contextually and both can offer different yet equally
legitimate starting points for interpretation.
Analysis of archival and other documentary sources and archaeological survey and
excavation are the methods employed in this research. From this analysis a number of
developments occur. These include an understanding of the role of control and the
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use of space at the Lazaret, an understanding of the spatial and material aspects of
paternalism and a demonstration that philosophies, such as paternalism, can be
accessed archaeologically.
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Contents
List of Figures in text vi
List of Tables in text vili
Building a Partial Shelter 1
Institutions, Power, Paternalism and Historical Archaeology 42
The Documents 81
Introduction to the Physical Evidence 137
The Physical Evidence from Site D1 161
The Physical Evidence from Sites 34, 39, 71 and 80 246
They Gave You Everything But... 331
Full Cycle 364
Bibliography 398
V
Figures
Figure 1. Map of Moreton Bay, Southeast Queensland Showing the 4
Location of Peel Island
Figure 2. Plan of Lazaret Showing Compounds 5
Figure 3. Schematic Representation of the Analytical Categories
of Paternalism and Disciplinary Power 83
Figure 4. White Male Patients’ Hut 108
Figure 5. Coloured Patients’ Compound 109
Figure 6. The Hierarchical Structure of the Lazaret Staffing 124
Figure 7. Surawski Name Plate on Building Remains 139
Figure 8. Male Patients’ Compound in the 1950s 141
Figure 9. Male Patients’ Compound in the 1990s 141
Figure 10. Survey Transects 151
Figure 11. Results of Survey of Peel Island 155
Figure 12. Plan of Site D1 165
Figure 13. Figurative Representation of the Slope on Site D1 166
Figure 14. Site D1 167
Figure 15. Stratigraphic Profile of Trench A, Site D1 169
Figure 16. Stratigraphic Profile of Site Trench B, D1 170
Figure 17. Parts of a Bottle 180
Figure 18. The Three Main Bottle Rim Types 181
Figure 19. Comparison of Frequency and Weight of Ceramics in 182
Site D1 as Percentages
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Catedral Design 187
A van Hoboken Seal 199
Details of Clay Pipe Artefacts 218
Variables of Green Beer Bottle Glass Sherds from 235
Grid Unit B1 of Site D1
Comparison of Percentage of Glass and Metal in each SU 243
in the Six Grid Units
Plan of Site 34 255
Stratigraphic Profile of Site 34 256
Plan ofF 1 257
Queensland Government Crest on Cup Rim Sherd 259
Plan of Site 39 276
Stratigraphic Profiles of Site 39 277
Cut-Throat [Straight] Razor in SU II of Site 39 285
Plan of Site 71 293
Stratigraphic Profiles of Site 71 294
Plan of Site 80 311
Stratigraphic Profiles of Site 80 312
Figurative Representation of the Arrangement of Compounds 346
Structure of the Thesis 365
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Tables
Comparison of Characteristics of Total Institutions 53
and Disciplinary Power
The Historical Documentary Record of the Peel Island 85
The Documentary Record of the Peel Island Lazaret 86
Lazaret Staff in 1938 126
Roster Worked by Male Attendants at the 127
Peel Island Lazaret in 1937
Restoration and Maintenance Work as per Conservation Plan 143
Classification System for Ceramic Body 176
(Thompson and Wilson 1987:2-3)
Counts of Artefacts by Class and by Stratigraphic Unit 183
in Site D1
Distribution of Food Class in Site D1 183
Tableware Identifiable by Backstamp in Site D1 185
Summary Data for Cups in Site D1 189
Patterned Plate Sherds in Site D1 191
Frequency of Glass by Colour in Site D1 194
Percentage of Glass by Colour in Site D1 194
Distribution of Glass Food Artefacts in Site D1 195
Bottle Body Part of Food Glass in Site D1 195
Distribution of Bottle Rim Types in Site D1 196
Fragmentation of Beer Bottle Glass in Site D1 197
Fragmentation of Cordial Bottle Glass in Site D1 198
vili
Fragmentation of Mineral Water Bottle Glass in Site Dl 199
Fragmentation of Sauce Bottle Glass in Site Dl 201
Fragmentation of Unidentified Bottle Glass in Site D1 203
Distribution of Clothing Artefacts in Site D1 206
Distribution of Accommodation Artefacts in Site D1 208
Metal Accommodation Artefacts in Site D1 210
Distribution of Hospital Related Artefacts in Site D1 211
Distribution of Lotion Pot Sherds in Site D1 212
Distribution of Personal Artefacts in Site D1 215
Distribution of Unassigned Artefacts in Site D1 221
Distribution of Charcoal in Site D1 222
NISP of Faunal Remains in Site D1 223
Distribution of Bone in Site D1 223
Distribution of Bone in Trench A and Trench B 224
Bone Identifiable at the Class Level 225
Distribution of Coral in Site D1 225
Distribution of Shell in Site D1 226
Decoration Style by Ceramic Body Material in Site D1 231
Underglaze Decoration Colour and Ceramic 231
Body Material in Site D1
Overglaze Decoration Colour and Ceramic Body 232
Material in Site D1
Summary of Internal Rim Measurements (in mm) of Green 236
Beer Bottle Glass from Grid Unit B1 in Site D1
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