The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1885-01-27 00:00:00

B )ARD OP GUARDIANS.

TN Z NIKDICAL OVVICKIt.

There was • large attendance at the fortnightly
meeting of the Board of Guardians, held on Friday,
under the vresidency of %Ir. C. .1. Parke The chief
Lusiness was the alleged neglect or 'ssion of o r.
Sidney G. Parkinson, one of the medical ofticer of
the Board to attend to the medical requirements of
three parish ()stients. It will be remembered that at
the last meeting of the Board r. Parkinson sod in
a letter complaining of receiving relieving officer'
orders late in the day to attend patients after he had
returned from his usual rounds He also objected t
receiving orders from Mr. VosperThoinas. the late
relieving officer, who, it was shown, had merely act.
temporarily for Air Badger, the relieving officer,
whilst the latter was on a three days' leavo
absence. After BOMB discussion, it was resolved b
ask Mr. Parkinson to attend before the, Guardians
and make personal explanations. This r. Parkisosei
now did. The first case he Man questioned about
was that with regard to • pc_mper isitient he haa
reoeived an order from Mr. Vosper-Tholuas in the
evening to attend to. NI r Dibben pointed out that Mr.
l'arkinsfin merely complained of having iirders late in
the day, and suggested in his letter to the Board
that excepting in tassel of emergency. such orders
4« odd be given in the morning, not later than
o'clock, if possible —The Chairman read a letter from
Mr. Vosper- Montag, enclosing letters from two
independent persons—one of whom was the 1t.... A.
ludleigh, of Wait Parley—as to the urgency, of
immediate medical attendance on the parish patients
in question, in respect of two of whom_ he ( r.
Vosper•Thoinio) WWI given orders to Mrpnvkiinion.
sin Vosper•Thoinas concluded hi. letter by reins-king
that the
w.„ i.
th ieolininuiring ts : 'in
w,
n hi.inul,4self
hded lea
in Mr Park4ns. himins
iic
..1( in the guardians' hands, with the hope that they
would express themselves satisfied with the way in
which he had discharged his temporary duties and
the duties of his office during the time he was
relieving „ffinee.—With regard to the allegation thai
he had not attended a pansh patient named Piercy.
on Colehill, Wimburne, Mr. Parkinson said that the
iase was not an urgent one It was a CAM) of
dyspepsia in which nourishment was needed, and
the inedical officer was not ordered to give nourish
:neat. The ticket or order was not marked " urgent,"
but be attended to it as soon as possible although it
took hint some time to go round to the patient —ln
the case of Henry Blandford the Rev A Chudleigh's
letter to or. Vesper-Thomas stated that while the
man was lying ill his wife was confined in the same

room of her tenth child. It waa painted out that this
was an urgent case. %Ir. Parkinson said he had
never stated otherwise lie re-vived the order to
attend Iron r. Voaper-Thomss's child. and he did
L af
that
attend the case. but it was out of In. power to do .1.
until the n-xt day. In the third case. that of a
parish patient itamed itriant, r. Parkinson ,aid be
sent medicine, but del not see the in 111 Will nal a
six months' medical order for a ijisll.llC aiiment ot
rheumatism and heart itpieipie. gave a
tit thlertir
but
iru
e ..e.
at
the ilisiewied bad had medicine from r.
(late medical tor the iiisr...ase Several
guardians spoke al to their ku.wludg. ci the chronic
state of the case —Some discu.sion took place after
r. Parkinson had retirel. and ultimately the
guardians passed a rewilut. to the effect that or.
Parkinson's explanations were iatti.factory. and
directed the clerk to write to r. Viemer-Thenias
and state that the Board were of opinion that he
appeared to have due his duty in acting fur the
relieving