The dreaded "Stone"

Collieston Harbour, built in 1894, notable for the tunnel piercing foundations of break-water-pier, evidently designed for the flushing-out of silt like those recommended by Smeaton (1770) at Dundee. In 1696, 36 fishermen lived in 'Collestowne', one of the largest fishing communities north of the Tay; by the 1880s, there were over 100 fishing for 'prodsing speldins' (dried haddock) or 'blauvin fishies' (whiting), yet the community moved, almost wholesale, c.1900, to Torry (Aberdeen) as a result of 'the stone', an incurable malady. The Lang Reel o'Collieston used to be danced by the whole community on Forvie Sands after each fisher wedding.

Taken from "Aberdeenshire: Donside and Strathbogie - An Illustrated Architectural Guide", by Ian Shepherd, 2006.

It isn't clear what the nature of the malady known as "the stone " was, but probably some form of kidney or bladder stones.