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Tristan da Cunha Healthcare History
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Summary of history of healthcare on Tristan, from provision by missionaries to the first permanent hospital.
Hospital News
Potential Upcoming Locum Medical Officer Opportunities（https://www.tristandc.com/jobs/news-2026-09-25-locum-medical-officers.php）, 27‑Sep‑2026
Potential Upcoming Healthcare Opportunities（https://www.tristandc.com/jobs/news-2026-08-10-medical-opportunities.php）, 10‑Aug‑2026
Postscript to the Hantavirus Outbreak（https://www.tristandc.com/news-2026-07-09-hantavirus-postscript.php）, 15‑Jul‑2026
End of Hantavirus celebration party（https://www.tristandc.com/news-2026-06-22-hantavirus-party.php）, 22‑Jun‑2026
End of Hantavirus on Tristan da Cunha（https://www.tristandc.com/news-2026-06-18-hantavirusend.php）, 19‑Jun‑2026
Joy as Tristanians arrive in Weymouth（https://www.tristandc.com/news-2026-06-07-hantavirus-isolation-uk.php）, 7‑Jun‑2026
More Hospital News（https://www.tristandc.com/newshospital.php）... • Other News（https://www.tristandc.com/news/index.php）...
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The community on Tristan da Cunha had no resident doctor for the first 125 years of its existence. The missionaries who served the island at various times from the 1850s brought with them medical supplies and provide some medical care for mostly minor ailments. Ships' doctors, and in particular the doctors on Royal Navy ships would check the health of the islanders during their visits and treat more serious cases, where possible, but these visits occurred once a year or less frequently, and usually only lasted a couple of days. A few of these doctors published reports on the health of the islanders in the British medical press. These were mostly favourable, and in particular, the islanders gained a reputation for their healthy teeth, which was put down to the community's isolation and the low amount of sugar in the island diet at that time.
The first sustained medical presence was during the three month Norwegian Scientific Expedition to Tristan da Cunha in 1937/38.