Inquiry into the treatment, condition and mortality of infant children in the workhouse of the North Dublin Union.

  • Nicholls, George, Sir, 1781-1865.
Date:
1842
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Inquiry into the treatment, condition and mortality of infant children in the workhouse of the North Dublin Union. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service. The original may be consulted at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service.

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    18th December, 1841, Dr. Kirkpatrick. temporary existence, and at the same time sow the seeds of premature decay and death ?—I think so. 1584. Mr. Hall.—May I ask you whether it is impossible in an Establishment of this kind, to provide the means of sustaining the life of an Infant, without incurring the evil of prema- ture decay and death ?—I think it is possible. 1585. Mr. Phelan.—When you examine the Paupers every alternate Monday, do you make any record with regard to the state of health of the individual whom you have examined?—No, except with regard to Vaccination. 1586. What direction do you give a person who appears to you to be in such ill health as to require to be sent to Hospital ?—I tell the Nurse to send the person up at once to Hospital, or I write the name of the person on a bit of paper, with the number of the Ward. 1587. Suppose there were a Book in the Probationary Ward, in which the names of those who were admitted by the Admission Board were entered for you, to save time, and in which Book you should record the disease of each person, who should appear to you to be ill, as a permanent record, omitting the name of any person who was not ill, would you consider it to be a good and sufficient mode of entry ?—From what I have heard upon the investigation, I think such a Book necessary, but I think it would be a better plan to record the health of each person. 1588. If 20 be admitted upon a day, and 8 of that number were in ill health, would it not be a sufficient document to guide the Deputy Master to enter all those in good health who were not specified by you as in bad, and then leave him to adopt your entry of the persons who were in bad health ?—I think it would not be sufficient. 1589. You think the Medical man ought to mention every case whether the Pauper should be in good or bad health ?—I think he should be particular in entering the species of disease. 1590. Mr. Barlow I ask you whether you think it would be desirable if the column now supposed to be filled up by the Guardians were left in blank, and we were to send the Book into the Probationary Ward, and when you commenced your Medical examinations, fill it up in the proper form ?—That would answer. 1591. Mr’ Phelan.—Have you examined the Record of Sickness and Mortality?—Not very lately, I have looked over it. 1592. Do you consider that a correct Document, such as was intended by the Poor Law Commissioners ?—-I do not think it fully correct. 1593. Do you think it nearly correct?—I do not think it is near being correct. 1594. Are you in the habit of keeping that Book? do you make the entries in the Book in the cases of your own Patients?—Not all. 1595. Do you make many of them?—I make many of them, but I don’t enter the name, the name is entered by another person. The disease is entered by us. 1596. Show me your hand-writing in this [a Book handed to Witness,]. From your examination of this Book, and the knowledge of its contents, do you think it is a correct Record ?—As far as I can see, it is. 1597. Are you able to state of your own knowledge, if that is a correct Record?—I will not vouch for its correctness, I do not know of myself that it is correct; but I know of no inaccuracy in it. 1598. Mr. Hall.—Are you aware of this regulation of the Poor Law Commissioners, u that the Medical Officers shall enter and accurately keep the Record of Sickness and Mortality, in which shall be inserted the name of every Pauper Patient under his care ; the name of the disease, its date and termination ; and make such other observation as he shall think Jit to make ?” 1599. Have the Medical Officers understood that; have you satisfied yourself that the Book is kept in accordance with the instructions received ?—I have not filled it up myself in all particulars, I will explain the way in which I kept the Book, if asked. 1600. How is the Book kept ?—One of the Paupers enters the name of the person upon admission, he brings the Book to us and we state the Patient’s disease. Mr. Phelan stated that the column of disease was perfectly useless. 1601. Mr. Phelan.—Did I desire you to discontinue it upon my authority ?—You did not. 1602. Did you conceive I had authority to give you that direction?—I thought your’s a very good opinion; I was heartily sick of the column before, and when backed by your opinion, I felt myself justified in not much attending to it. 1603. Did you copy the column correctly ?—Correctly, I did. It is a difficult thing with one Book to make entries correctly, when I wanted the Book, Dr. Duncan had it, and when we both wanted it, it was in the Board-room. I would account for the omissions in the Book in some way by the difficulty of carrying about the Book. 1604. Do you think there should be two Books?—It would be a facility. 1605. Did you ask for a second Book?—No, and my reason was, I did not think it important. 1606. You alluded to the Column of Treatment. Do you think it important that the Column of Disease should be filled ? Was that Column filled?—In most cases, if it could be done, it was filled. 1607. Suppose I was to show you, that out of 87 cases, (that being given as the number of deaths of Children under two,) the diseases of a great number were not entered at all; that out of 87, 42 only Avere entered, while 45 were not entered; would you say the Book was kept correctly?—No, but I would fill up the inaccuracies in 24 hours. 1608. But should not the Book be an accurate Record, so that from week to week, the Board or any authority might view it ?—It is not accurate ; the more important duties of our situation prevent it from being accurate.