Richard Ryther Steer Bowker
Hunter Valley Medical Practitioner
Dr. Richard Ryther Steer Bowker, M.D., was born in England on August 30, 1815. He received his early education at the Endowed School in Appleby, Leicestershire, under the guidance of Dr. Lloyd. After an apprenticeship at the Nottingham General Dispensary, he pursued further medical and surgical studies at institutions across Scotland and England. He later spent time in Paris to enhance his professional training.
Dr. Bowker became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England and a Member of the Royal College of Physicians of London. He initially practiced medicine in Bingham, near Nottingham. However, overwhelmed by the demands of his work, he decided to take a sea voyage and travelled to Swan River (Perth), Western Australia, serving as the doctor aboard an emigrant ship. He later moved to Newcastle, New South Wales, where he lived for two years before spending another two years in the East Indies, studying regional diseases. [1]
Georgiana
One of the voyages he made to Australia as ship surgeon was on the immigrant ship Georgiana which arrived in Port Phillips on 23 February 1841 While on board the Georgiana he kept a journal of his voyage.Newcastle
Medical Duties
At Newcastle Dr. Bowker was called on at all hours of the night for emergencies. Some of the cases are mentioned below.....In November 1843 he was disturbed at ten o'clock at night to attend a man named Morgan - a 'deformed and exceedingly harmless man' who resided in King Street and lay dangerously ill after being beaten and stabbed with a bayonet by two soldiers from the 99th regiment. When Dr. Bowker arrived he found Morgan seriously wounded with the stab being about three inches depth between the third and fourth ribs.
He was often required to attend inquests in Newcastle. In April 1844, Coroner J.S. Parker held an inquest at Newcastle on the body of 18month old Rebecca Dunn who had supposedly died through the injudicious medical treatment of a man named Peter Rosario At the inquest it was discovered that the child had been ill for four months and attended by Dr. Bowker who had told the mother that he entertained no hope of recovery due to her liver complaint. He recommended oatmeal, arrowroot and beef tea which the child refused. Her mother then called the assistance of Peter Rozario who ordered the flannels in which the child was wrapped to be removed. He mixed some aloes in a table spoon of water with some lump sugar, a teaspoonful of which he gave the child. After giving this medicine he cut up a white onion which he bruised with half a teaspoonful of salt and rubbed the child all over, when he prescribed a teaspoonful of castor oil to be given. He then ordered her to be laid to sleep. The next day to recommended more castor oil and rubbed the child all over again with onion and salt and ordered her to be fed with chicken broth boiled with whole pepper. The mother and child returned to their residence a short distance from Newcastle five days later. On their next visit to Newcastle the child became ill again and Peter Rozario was again consulted when he advised that she had a cold on the stomach and would not live. He again gave the child aloes to cut the phlegm and chicken broth however she died an hour later.
Richard Bowker and George Brooks performed a post mortem on the body and it was found that Bowker's diagnosis of liver disease was correct. The liver was enlarged to double its size and contained several abscesses. At the inquest Dr. Bowker stated that although Rozario's treatment was not directly injurious it was indirectly so by hindering efficient remedies from being employed. Two men John Barker and David Robertson spoke in Court in Rozario's favour stating they had received relief from his treatments, however the jury found that Rebecca Dunn had died by the visitation of God, and they recommended that Peter Rozario be cautioned by the coroner from practicing as a quack doctor.
On a winter's night in 1844 Dr. Bowker was called out at midnight when the lockup keeper Thomas Harrison was viciously assaulted and stabbed by two men. On arrival at the Court House where Harrison resided he found the stab wound had passed completely through Harrison's cheek and that he was in a very dangerous state.
In August 1848, he treated Miss Humphrey, the eldest daughter of Thomas Bott Humphrey of Newcastle. Her dress had caught fire and she was seriously burned before a ticket of leave holder John Brown managed to extinguish the flames. She remained in a dangerous state under the constant medical treatment of Dr. Bowker for some time.
Town Life
Richard Bowker contributed to the educational entertainment during his time at Newcastle and in September 1844 gave an introductory lecture on Chemistry at the Mechanics Institute. He was highly regarded by the inhabitants of Newcastle as in 1848 on his return to the township after a long absence residents contributed to purchase a piece of plate and fifty sovereigns to thank him for his previous and continuing service as a doctor.East Indies
Richard Bowker worked for a time in the East Indies however in 1853, he returned to Australia and resettled in Newcastle, where he served in several public roles including coroner, alderman, and justice of the peace. He lived in a house overlooking the harbour and sea known as Santoft, which fronted Church Street and was bordered by Perkins, Wolfe and Tyrell Sts. From his house he could no doubt observe any of his vessels entering and leaving the harbour. He owned five vessels in partnership with George Tully by 1853. One of his small trading vessels was the 'Lavinnia'.Political Life
Dr. Bowker developed an early interest in public affairs and was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly in 1856. He chose not to seek re-election when the Assembly was dissolved in 1859. However, motivated by a desire to reform public health legislation, he ran again in 1877 and was re-elected. During his time in Parliament, he focused primarily on public health issues. He highlighted the dangers of poor ventilation in schools and was instrumental in initiating improvements. He also warned about the health risks associated with drinking surface water, linking it to outbreaks of typhoid fever, and advocated for the construction of reliable water supply systems—especially in his own district of Wallsend. He was a vocal critic of intramural burials and opposed the establishment of a large hospital within city limits, citing contemporary medical research that favored rural settings for better patient recovery. Dr. Bowker also supported the passage of a Medical Bill and promoted legislation to restrict Chinese immigration, viewing it as a public threat. He opposed the Public Instruction Act, arguing that a state-run education system should not relegate religious teaching to a secondary role. His opposition to this policy contributed to his defeat in the next election, ending his political career in Newcastle.In 1873, he left Newcastle and settled in Avoca, Darling Point, Sydney.
Marriage
In 1858 he married Lydia Phillips in Paterson. Lydia was the daughter of Peninsula war veteran Captain James Phillips. She had probably grown up on the family estate 'Bona Vista' at Paterson. (Lydia's older sister Isabella married David Sloan in 1840.) Richard Bowker later purchased the Bona Vista property from the Estate. Richard and Lydia Bowker soon started a family - Isabel was born in 1859, Robert in 1861, Elizabeth in 1862, Charles in 1864, Richard in 1867, Arthur 1869, Harold 1870, Edward 1872 were all born in Newcastle. Cedric was born in 1876 in Paddington, Sydney.Lydia Bowker died at Paddington in 1878.
Death
Richard Bowker died in 1903Obituary -
Death of Dr. Bowker. The death is recorded of Dr. Richard Ryther Bowker, M.L.C., one of the oldest and most highly esteemed medical practitioners in the State, at his residence, Avoca, Thornton-street, Darling Point, on Friday, April 3. Deceased was born in Lincolnshire on August 30, 1816. He began the study of medicine at the age of 16, when he was apprenticed at the Nottingham General Dispensary. He pursued his studies in Scotland, London, and Paris. He obtained the degree of M.K.C.P. (London) and of F.K.C.S. (England) in 1838, and of M.D. at St. Andrew's in 1839. At 22 he began to practise his profession in Bingham, Nottinghamshire.
He afterwards undertook two sea voyages as medical superintendent of an immigrant vessel, and came to New South Wales, and resided at Newcastle. For the purpose of medical research deceased visited the East Indies, and in 1853 returned to Newcastle. He represented Newcastle in the Legislative Assembly from 1856 to 1859. He did not seek re-election until 1877, when he was again returned. He was a member of the Legislative Council for several years.
Prior to 1877 deceased took up his residence at Darling Point. In 1858 he married Miss Lydia Phillips, the youngest daughter of Captain James Phillips, of Bona Vista, Paterson. Up to two years ago he continued to practise his profession. His wife predeceased him by some years. He leaves a family of six sons and three daughters. Four sons are members of the medical profession, Dr. Robert Steer Bowker is the eldest, Dr. Cedric Bowker (late of the Sydney Hospital), and Dr. Richard Bowker (England) are also sons. The remains were conveyed to the Paterson, and there interred on Monday. -[2]
Notes and Links
1). Monthly Magazine 1811References
[1] Australian Town and Country Journal 4 February 1888[2] Maitland Weekly Mercury 11 April 1903
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