General Arrangements		Medical Arrangements

The hydro's two doctors were the only staff members mentioned by name.

Dr. Hunter had held several appointments in Glasgow, where he had qualified as a doctor in 1866, before moving to Cluny Hill Hydropathic Establishment at Forres. After some time he joined the staff at Smedley's as the senior physician in 1872. He died in 1894^[1].

Dr. Tennant, who also qualified at the University of Glasgow, had worked as a visiting assistant to Newcastle Infirmary before entering into general practice in Ambleside^[2]. He was then appointed to the hydro staff and was in Matlock for up to two years (although more probably about a year and a half) before taking over at Ben Rydding in 1877^[3]; he became the physician of the establishment where John Smedley had been "cured". He later moved to Harrogate^[4].

References (coloured links are to transcripts and information elsewhere on this web site):

^[1] "Aberdeen Press and Journal", 4 Dec 1894.

^[2] 1881 census, showing that he born in Lanarkshire.

^[3] "Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer", 21 May 1887. Advertisement for Ben Rhydding. He did not stay long.

^[4] In 1891 he was living at Strathmore Harrogate with his wife Louisa and son but in 1901 he was with his wife in Llandudno. His death on 19 Nov 1903 at Harrogate, aged 60, was recorded in several Yorkshire newspapers ("Bradford Daily Telegraph", 21 Nov 903, "Leeds Mercury", 28 Nov 1903). The "Knaresborough Post" of 28 Nov 1903 said that for some years he was the resident of Harrogate Hydro and reported that he had a kind heart and an affable manner; he had suffered ill health for 2-3 years.