The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1885-01-20 00:00:00

C. IM BO RUN.
B )4RD Of OCIARDIASS.

THE MEDICAL ornate.

There was a large attendance at the fortnightly
meeting of the Board of Guardians, held on Friday,
under the 'residency of .Ir. C. J. Parke The chief
businere was the alleged neglect or omission of F.
Sidney G. Parkinson, one of the medical officers of
the Board to attend to the medical requirements of
three parish patients. It will be remembered that at
the last meeting of the Board r. Parkinson sent in
• letter complaining of receiving relieving officers'
order' late in the day to attend patients after he had
returned from his usual rounds lie also objected to
reviving orders from Mr. Vosper•Thninas. the late
relieving officer. who, it was shown, had merely acte
temporarily for Mr Badger. the relieving officer,
whilst the latter was on a three days' leave ii
absence. After some discussion, it was resolved to
ask Mr. Parkinson to attend before the Guardians,
and make personal explanations. This 'lr. Parkinson
now did. The first case he MU questioned about
was that with regard to • pauper patient he bac
received an order from Mr. Irrosper•Thomas in the
evening to attend to. ii r Dibben pointed out that Mr.
Parkinson merely complained of having orders late in
the day, and suggested in his letter to the Board
that, excepting in cases of emergency, such orders
should bin given in the morning, wit later than 10
o'clock, if possible —The Chairman read • letter from ,
Mr. Vosper- l'homas, enclooing letters from tiv4
independent persons—one of whom was the Hoy. A.
Chudleigh, of West Parley—as to the lir-piney of
immediate medical attendance on the parish pationte
in question, in respect of two of whom ho ( ,r.
Vosper•Thoinsa) had given orders to Mr Parkinson.
Vosper•Thotnas concluded his letter by remarking
that the comments on himself in Mr l'arkinson
letter were insulting: he would, he added leave him-
self in the timelier:is' hands, with the hope that they
would express themselves aatisfied with the wry in
which he had discharged his temporary duties and
the duties of his office during the time ho WAI
relieving officer—With regard to the allegation that
he had not attended a parish patient named Plercy.
on Colehill, Wimburne, Mr. Parkinson said that the ,
cane IVIM not AO urgent .inc It WM a Cale of
dyspepsia in which nourishment was needed, and '
the medical officer was not ordered to give niiiirish•
meat. The ticket or order was not marked urgent,"
but he attended to it as soon as possible although it
took him some time to go ronnd to the pstient —ln
the ease of Henry Blanclford the Rev. A Chudleigh's
letter to sir. Vosper-Thomas stated that while the
man VW lying ill his wife was confined in the same
room of her tenth child. It was pointed out that this
was an urgent case. -r. Parkinson said he had
never stated otherwise He received the order to
attend from 'lr. Vosper•Thomas's child, and he did
attend the case ; but it was out of his power to du si
until the next day. In the third case, that of a
parish patient named Briant, .Ir. Parkinson said he
pent medicine, but did not see the man, who had a
six months' medical order for a chionic ailment of
rheumatism and heart disease. He gave a certificate
that that was the cause of death, without seeing the
man at all ; but he had been reliably informed that
the deceased had had medicine from .ir. Wyse.Smith
(late medical officer' for the disease Several
. . . . . . .

guardians spoke as to their knowledge of the chronic
state of the case —Some discussion took place after
Hr. Parkinson had retired, and ultimately the
gnardians passed a resolution to the effect that or.
Parkinson's explanations were satiefactory, and
directed the clerk to write to %fr. Voeper-Thomas
and state that the Board were of opinion that he
appeared to have done his duty in acting for the
roheying officer.