Doctor Curmudgeon ® Where Have They Gone?
By Diane Batshaw Eisman, M.D. FAAP Doctor Eisman is in Family Practice in Aventura, Florida with her partner, Dr. Eugene Eisman, an internist/cardiologist
They were last seen in 1587.
One hundred and eighteen colonists disappeared.
The lost colony of Roanoke remains one of history’s intriguing puzzles.
Spain was a wealthy nation and the leading explorer into the New World. The Spanish had found precious metals and enriched themselves further by stealing valuables from the Incas and Aztecs.
England wanted to be a strong force and compete with Spain in an exploration to find new trade routes and treasure.
And so, England attempted to establish the first permanent settlement in North America. It was in 1585 that the Roanoke Colony was created on Roanoke Island, off the coast of North Carolina.
There were troubles from the start.
Ralph Lane was the first governor and there was a constant lack of supplies and tensions with the Native Americans.
When a supply mission was delayed, Lane and his settlers left the colony and sailed back to England on a ship with Sir Francis Drake. Lane and his colonists abandoned Roanoke and it was left to John White to recruit people for this long voyage.
White was an artist, explorer and cartographer. With his group of about one hundred and eighteen, he arrived on Roanoke Island in August of 1587.
He was appointed as governor and was to establish an agricultural settlement.
On arrival, White and his settlers began restoring the houses abandoned by the previous group.
It was Later in the year that John White had to sail back to England for fresh supplies.
It took quite a while for White to return. A great Naval War had broken out between Spain and England and every vessel was called upon to oppose the Spanish Armada. It was not until august of 1590 that he was able to arrive back on Roanoke.
Nobody was there.
Not a single English inhabitant.
Not his wife and daughter.
Not his granddaughter (her name was Virginia Dare and she was known as the first English child to be born on American soil).
There was no trace of the colony.
The only clue was one word which had been carved into a wooden post.
“Croatoan.”
White believed that this single word was a clue to the fate of the colonists. ‘Croatoan was an island that was south of Roanoke and Native Americans of that name lived there. He thought that it was possible his colonists were all killed. On the other hand, they might have been abducted and assimilated into the tribe. There were stories circulating of people with European features living among the Native Americans.
The most absurd theory was that the entire group had been annihilated by a disease. It was more likely that the Native Americans would be sickened by something brought over by the colonists. And no bodies were found on the island.
Others speculated that the Spaniards were to blame as they had come up from Florida and massacred the settlers.
With his only clue, White tried to sail to Croatoan Island. But the treacherous seas prevent him from doing so. Sadly he eventually retired to his home in Ireland.
As Sir Winston Churchill once said, “It’s a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma…”
Dr. Curmudgeon suggests “Bitter Medicine”, Dr. Eugene Eisman’s story of his experiences–from the humorous to the intense—as a young army doctor serving in the Vietnam War.
Bitter Medicine by Eugene H. Eisman, M.D. –on Amazon
Doctor Curmudgeon® is Diane Batshaw Eisman, M.D., a physician-satirist. This column originally appeared on SERMO, the leading global social network for doctors.
SERMO www.sermo.com
Click Here to Order Boxing Interviews Of A Lifetime By “Bad” Brad Berkwitt