Historical Herpetology
The good Doctor: John White.
Another in our continuing series of articles about Australian pioneers.
F
ar from having any herpetologi-
cal expertise, John White was
not even a trained naturalist. He was,
however, indispensable to the
success of the early colony at Botany
Bay, and was responsible for
providing a first glimpse of
Australia’s incredible endemic wild-
life; acquainting Europeans with
such iconic species as the Lace
Monitor and the Green Tree Frog
(which was once apparently referred
to as ‘White’s Tree Frog’).
John White was born in northern
Ireland in about 1756 and joined
the Royal Navy as a surgeon’s mate
in 1778. Formally qualifying as a
surgeon in 1781, he served on HMS
Irresistible until being recom-
mended as chief surgeon for the
First Fleet in 1786. He immediately
set about improving diet and living
conditions for the convicts ear-
marked for transportation. Nearly
1,500 people embarked with the First
Fleet, on a voyage which would last
more than eight months. It is a
testament to the skills of White and
his staff that only 34 deaths occurred
whilst at sea.
White was appointed Surgeon-
General of New South Wales in
1788. The new colony was beset by
outbreaks of disease, but within a
year this was controlled and the first
‘White was also
notable for his
involvement in the
FIRST DUEL FOUGHT
on A USTRALIAN
SOIL . ’
Above right: John
White; painted in 1792
by Thomas Watling, a
convict artist assigned
to White.
Left: White’s journal
was published in 1790
and introduced readers
to a melange of bizarre
species from the
faraway colony.
hospital constructed. Nevertheless,
White found time to accompany
Governor Arthur Phillip in explora-
tory treks, and also experimented
with the medicinal qualities of native
flora. He used a brew concocted
from tea tree leaves to combat
scurvy, and extracted oils from
eucalyptus, native myrtle and
peppermint, as well as identifying
the potential importance of wild
spinach. White was also notable for
his involvement in the first duel
fought on Australian soil, on August
12, 1788. Intense ill-feeling had
developed between White and his
assistant, William Balmain, from
whom the harbourside suburb
derives its name. One contemporary
account claimed that the two men,
‘fired their pistols and slightly
wounded each other’.
Upon joining the First Fleet, White
began to keep a journal in which he
made extensive notes on everyday
activities, together with detailed
observations concerning natural
history. This was forwarded to a
friend of his in London in 1788 and
subsequently published in 1790 as
Journal of a Voyage to New South