D’Arcy Wentworth worked as a surgeon on Norfolk Island, at Parramatta and in Sydney Town; he was made Principal Surgeon in 1809. From the early 1790s he subscribed to numerous medical periodicals from England, determined to keep abreast of advances in diagnosis and treatment. He quoted from these in an extensive aide memoire, his Medical Notebook, which includes:
D’Arcy’s references to 14 eighteenth century medical journals
D’Arcy’s references to 300 eighteenth century medical practitioners
D’Arcy’s references to 400 medical conditions and treatments