The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1874-01-13 00:00:00

DORSET COUNTY HOSPITAL.

The general meeting of the friends of the above
invaluable institotion was held at the HOPpitil OD
Thursday sfter..oon last, when there were preeout.—Mr.
J. Fioyer, M.P., Rev. H. Everett, Rev. H. R. Williams,
Mr. H. N. Middleton, Mr. G. Mayo, Rev. G. W.
Bingham, Yr. G. Warry, Mr. J. Galpio Mr. J. F.
Hodges, Mr. J. F. Hodges. juor., W. if. F. Jones,
Rev. T. W. K Jipe, Mr. J. Symonds, Mr. R. Davie,
Col. Bingham, Mr. J. Good, Dr. Hollis, Mr. A. Rumen,
Ate.

The R. C. W. BINGHAM was sotry to say that their
worthy °halms,' does not take mush ears of himsolf.
he Is always tumbling about—(a laugh), and he has
written to say that hits DUW sonhoad to his room by a
fall, and bega to be excused from taking any part at
tuts meeting. Mr. Bingham went to say that he was
glad tboy bad an old friend to fall book upon, and he
begged to propose that Mr. I'loyar take the chair—
_ .

,
Mr. J. FLOTEN, M P. regretted,the noble lord's 'limos
that day. lie lied been so long a friend of the hospital,
and all his belongings take snot interest in it, that it is
always good to see Lord tHgby there,taking the position
which he fills so well. He was also sorry for the °atm
of his absence, and should regret that coythi g should
have led to his not being there. For himself, Mr.
Pierer said that he was one of the oldest supporters of
Slid Hospital, and therefore he supposed he was not
altOgether out of Oboe In taking the ohair—(hear hear).
He begged to call upon their friend, the her. C. W,
Hingham— he did not know in what capacity—
ktov. C. W. BI,OHAX.—That of the Chairman of the
sommituas.

Mr. FLOIXII ; Mir Bingham has so many capacities
that be dad not kno• at first; but he now o.lleci upon
him as chairman of committee to read the report.
Mr. liINOM•M read a. follows ;
The Com tee rejoice 41 being able to elate, at the end Cl
the 53rd ymtr of the itaspitare existence, that it has again been
permitted, through God's Liming upon it, to Liter relief to
an large a body of sick and acce"tsitous persons ; whiLit the
amount of support it ines received sufficiently teetifies that it
I ha, In uo wba, had ground In public estimation. If thc capes,-
ditty.: has been great, greater 'mohair than the number of
Patient* would seem to warrant, the revelptcs also have been
highly satisfactory. The total tautni,r of in-patimits has been
suusiderably I sa than In the pnaucling year, and in t/iis respect
there certainly dm* appear to be a gradual decline. They
numbered in 1871, 505; 3517 si 1072 and only 339 in 1873; still
the daily average has not decrease:ll, but rathet the contrary,
having been 511 in the pacit year against 511 in 1872, clearly
indicating &greater Ire deuce of severe and chnoile eases, yet
Sot of such (the Committee have toseertalfsed), ads are iiimi sable
of receiving permanent benefit from Isom:what pntractol
hospital treatment. The out-patients also have been fewer
than in the ',modify; year, 532 agahurt &Id. Though the
hindume of friends had much redueed the unfavourable balance
of 1871, still the sum due to the treasurer at the beginning of
het year, £215 it., can euffident to cause • little rcaaonable
anxiety. A etill further reduction has now been made, and it
will be stmi that the awn total now standing agds,at the
Hospital in the treasurer's bolke is COO 00. fid, 'My haihthiyi„g
result is mainly due to the liberal dmatioaa of the yew,
amongst which, beaddea several leaver and moat acceptable Nuns,
the Farl of Malwiel, haa contributed £100; Geonre Burt, E.g.,
..;51 Ites. ; Dr. Bisect in addition to many gemeroua
former benefactions, £5O; and the Illandford Agricultural
Society, mi its dissolution, has forwarded X. 51, the ledanee of
its fund*, through It. reaped.' honorary secretarial, Messrs.
IL rookie' and J. Ford. The Hospital hunday, also, so popular
and sucteaseful elsewhere, but adopted here for the first Gino,
has been productive of an important increase in the coligrega-
Uunal millet-thins, though several intimations have been given
that it a ould have been still more so had the invitation boon
issues' at an earlier period In the year. The Committee hare
agalis cheerfully yrre,,,i to e...operate with the committee of the
Salisbury Infirmary so far as to fix on the same day, September
27th, which they beg to sugyeet, provkled no other ehould be
deemed more convenient. They have thought it wleilable,
lovecer, to abstain from uniting with them in a kdnt and
lioecsan appeal, slsieh might lead to is.ssible misunderetand-
in‘s, seeing that the area. over which the operations of the
two iwilitutions extend are perfectly distinct, and are not
necustarily ocumeeted with any ecclesiastical organkation. The
total when*, on this head clurtig the past year has been
from SAVO to to i. 571/ la. Oil, a large hart .1 the
sLule to Nonmniforucist mongregatiwo,, which had out hitherto
made aollect• . Thu committee trust that, by" giving this
timely notice, which will be repeated as the appointed day
arp .ow.. i
he
r they 1..11yui., •0u11.7 a
still se gcsueral osaih,issatl,,,s
rasing ear. Thu chaplaincy, which warn
at the presentation id the last report, wasspeedily hilled
up by the appointmenl of Use llnes. F. 10. Morgan. The com-
mittee regret to eay that the institution is about to lose the
valued. ureic:cal if iir. ileitis, tro.., after three years' newt
exemplary and hometwil perform:um of the duties .4 house.
surgeon, to the entire satisfaction of the coeuntittee,lias resiglied
kis for the purls's,: of entering upon private practice.
The oninuittee dimwit refrain from expreising their eanuat
and osudilesst
,expectation that hia future career in the wider
vaereisc of Ids profession will amply justify the good opinions
which he has won from all with whom he has here come in
centact. 'FM election of his sucemseor, which, as the governors
ire aware, took place in the course of Ind month, resulted In
We appointment by a large majority of Mr. D. Charles Dm id.
eon, LIL C.l'. and Lit C.B. Ile has not yet come into residuum:,
but his testimonial* are ,4 such a character as to had the cuts-
mittee to Into that he may pr 'SC a wieful and competent
administrator. On the whole tit, imrsing and domestic
delartments have caused much loss trouble than in ensue
preceding years, mid the orderly and systematic arrange-
Incubi of the hospital in general reflect mucli credit oli
the 'kind management of the Realm. It will be necessary to
appoiet an auditor to fill the place of Mr. J. T. Shorto, who has
left the neighbourhood, and to whom the best thank. of the
t;' oeniors are clue for hie kind and efficient services. It is
hardly natatory to repeat from year to year how greatly
indebtal hi the charity to the how ,rary medical °Metro, who
are the mainstays of its efficiency and usefulowse. The com-
mittee are again compelled to ruttiest attentlai to the etate of
the Chaplaincy Fund, which, notwithstanding • kind dowation
of ten guinea. from Miss Peach, him fallen short of the demands
of the year by the sum of £27 hls, Ild. due to the treasurer.
111. ~below', from the cletalhi above given, that the general
finances are not in a sutfidently flourishing state t,, supplelllent
this special fund, without either incurring further debt or
injuriously contracting the operations of the hospi tat"
The Rev. C. W. tfitromati proceeded to reed and soot.
merit upon the treasurer'. report. He said there had
been a sliiiht increase In the receipts from boats, on
account of their being placed in more prominent
positions at the Railway station and other places, and
one b.. 11 been put near where the out-patlents came for
their medloines, and thia was found pretty full of
coppers, showing that a feeling of gratitude was
exhibited by them. Among the expenditure that for
meat was rather more, proving that the patiente had a
somewhat more generous diet. But there was an
increase of .C 65 for drugs over that of last year, with a
Ices number of patients. Ho thought woe betide the
poor patients if they are to have such an koronae every
year—(a ltugh)..
. . .

It was suggested that this might b. oiriag to an
addition to the stook.

The Bev. C. W. BINGHAM continued he trusted that
having heard the treasurer's statement of accounts, they
would ogre* that the committee had not gone too fa
In saying this bad been a saUsfactory year. lie did not
know that he bad any remuks to make on the report
except as to the decease. in the number of patient.. ID
187 l there were 5013 la-patients, in 1879 only ..97, a
decrease of 99, In 1873, 339, • decrease of 58. It was
certainly scinething rather remarkable, and the way in
which be should be Mei:soiled to amount for it had been
made some allusion to in a preceding report. It waa
that there are now many small hospitals, cottage
hospitals, and each as the Weymooth and liherborne
hospitals, and insny of the lighter eases are treated
there, and no they did not get at the Comity Hospital
the average oases which they used to get, but only the
heavier eases, from those please where cottage hospitals
are established, therefore the number of their patients
, gradually deoreaasse, although from eaeh sue being
more severe In character, each in-patient remains a
longer time in the hospital, and this raises the weekly
I mane- (hear).
The °lunatic : When you say so many in-patients
you mean SO Many adolardons. When they are re-ed„
missions, does that statement show them f
Mr. BaOwa said it did not.
The CaAlltliali said therefore the number of tickets
given may be as large as ever, although the narobsr of
fresh patieets is smaller.
The 1t... C. W. 1311011•11 said with reference to the
severe chronic case., the committee had ascertained
that they are not nob as are ineepable of Fontein(
any permanent binellt in the hoapital. Ile had made
eurpthies of the mediae' cffloare and bad been told that
them ewes are such as will be eventually greatly
beneatted by Hospital treatment. He did not think
they could make any alteration. But he could not
help complaining agate and again if eartain parts of
our want, 'shonee they got nothing in the shape of
congregational collet:Mous, and very little in the shape
of donations ; bat they did get a good deal
in the shape of heavy owe He might instance
the peninsula of Portland, whence they got • very few
potted. of contributions, et congregational oollecitiona
they got none, of subscription. very HUI-, yet they had
the most severe easee sent, Are or six oases of severe
accidents; that did not really seem quit* fair. Con-
stantly he observed that snob patients come from
Portland with tickets from portons living in quite a
different part of the county. Sometimes he found that
• member of Parliament had been asked for a ticket, in
return, perhaps, for value raealred-(a laugh), He
thought lobsaibera should really take the matter into
consideration, and refuse tickets to pinions living in
places whence the Hospital received no help-(hear).
Mr. H. N. MIDIMITON asked if there Is any hospital
In Portland ?-13.8 was answered-None.
Rev. 0. W. BINGRAII mid they had no congregational
collections from Weymouth ; they gave all their money
to their own heepitala yet their hospitals are not free,
and they send their heaviest oasts to the Herat County
Hospital. It was not quite fair- (hear). Sill the
Hospital had got on pretty well-Oleos:). They
tetoknithfoor
thlrelefintsapwitni,h2emied. ehooop.n4grieghea;
tiowCignuidittyctossoolnitectihnue to do so. It was satisfactory that in
that area of the county In that part of Dorset with
whieh the Hospital might be said to be more immediately
connected, they should be put above ell &Scatty, and
should have ample bards to meet all expenses.. He
begged to move that the r. port be ri mired, adopted,
and printed as mual under the direction of the Oos.
WWI&
.

.H. N. MILDLITON seoonded.
The CHAIRMAN iwid be was vory gia4l to be able to
agree with their good Mead Mr. Bingham. He did
agree with hiin on most things, and he slimed ea this
masks that thia woe a most matiskeilry repot%

Reducing debt is always a satialactory thing, and it is
plimeleg to see the balance getting lees on the wrong
side, and larger on the right one. The utility of the
Hospital Is not dm:tressed in the least by other hospitals
springing up, for though fewor oases may be sent here,
yet tbo GUN actually sent are aloes for whloh the
hospital provides the ;vastest benefit, oases requiring
long treatment end probably very skilful treatment,
which it is • satlatainion to see and and feel le espeotally
provided In the County Hospital —(hear). With reirard
to one or two lianas of expenditure : one is corny to /tee
the expenditure inxripteing rather more meetly than
the ordinary loom° ; tat he supposed that is • thing
which most nf the present enopsey have latoly found
to be ease—(hear). One Item he MIA certainly surpria4
to find bad Dot increased so largely as be had found it
I Increase in another inatltution—the Item of fuel—
(bear). In an Institution to womb be filled about the
Berne relation as Mr. Bingham did to the Hospital—in
the County Lunatic Aglaia—he was sorry to say the
temt of fuel had been double what it was in the previous
year ;it had gone lap from LIOCI a quarter to E4OO. He
was informed that oars had been takes of the fuel, and
it was a thinteupon which care would tell, and therefore
It was satisfactory to find that the increase in the item
of fuel had been at the Hospital oomparatively smalL
The Rev. C. W. Breinam : Only .£lO upon £124.
The CHAIIIYAN mid that would amount to about 7 or
8 per sent., whereas the increase at the Lunatic
Asylum was about £lOO per cent, and at their
respective establishments at home they bad found the
cost is nearly doubled. He trusted he might be
allowed as an old friend sod supporter of the Hospital,
to express his regret at the loss of Dr. Hollis. He had
always heard Dr. Hollis spoken of not only as having
been most skilful and industrious In his own line of
duty, but be had also beard of Lis kindlinese of dispo-
sition and readiness to promote everything for the
health and amusement of the patients, and their good
In other ways. And with all respect to the medical
officers, he believtd that their Went,c and ability would
not confer the full benefit upon the patients without
these lesser comforts, and without that healthy ex raise
to the promotion of which Dr. Hollis had so greatly
contributed. Therefore he thought they were indebted
to the doctor for the many acts of kindness he had dis-
played out and beyend his own prooer sphere, and he
earnestly whiled and hop d for Dr. Hollis that a
happy future is before him—(hear, hear). Mr. k layer
continued that he hoped next year they might pay off
their di be, for if they cleared off £lBO lest year, he
hoped they might clear off £BO in the rooming one, and
tilos that the Hospital would stand on • proper footing,
without fear and without anxiety.
The report was than received and adopted, and
ordered to be printed.
The Rev. C. W. BINGHAM thought they might as well
propose an auditor. Mr. Bhorto has left the town and
It may be Deoass.ry to appoint an auditor in his Pleas
It had occurred to him that Mr. Lueb. who had taken
the management of the Wilts and Dorset Bank, in
snoods:lon to Mr. Mort°, would be a very fitting one to
, succeed him at the) hospital.
The CH•ismast asked U Kr. Lush was willing to
mt.

The Rev. C. W. BreaHalf said Mr. Lush had told
him he was willing to do anything In his power for the
good of the Hospital. He proposed Mr. Lush as
auditor in the plies of Mr. Short°.
'• Mr. G. SYMONDS secocded, and the mot'oe was
otrried.
The Rev. O. W. BINGHAM said the:next business wee
the election of oommittee for the ensuing year. The
most painful oert of electing new members was that
It involved the turning out of four old Moods, bet he
thought it • fact in favour of the hospital that their
elected committee men had attended Lotter during the
last year than In previous year".
The Clitllltslr of Committee proposed, and it was
seconded by the Rev. H. P. Jones., that the committee
consist of the Rev. H. B. Williams, Mr. B. Aldworth,
Mr.R. Davis, Mr. J. Hodges, jonr.. Mr. J. Galpin,
Mr. H. B. Middleton, Mr. G. Mayo, Mr. G. Symonds
Mr. B. W. Williams. Mr. M. Devenish, Rev. K. J
Green, and Rev. T. W. Knipe.
Mr. J. I. HODGES proposed a vote of thanks to the
°Moors of this noble institution. He was struck to-day
In the readlog of the report, in seeing what progress
the institution bad made. He could warmly believe
II was thirty-three years sines this institution was
commenced, and it was a earning to them all that we
must be getting old men; but they could look back
with gratification on the Emcee ef all thee* years.
Their beginnings were of the humblest character, their
house was a small teenage and they had one ward
with 20 patient. ; but he did not recollect anything
like a snapemion of the prosperity with which they had
been favoured. The public had been most generous,
that the revenue might 'n• equal to any call upon it,
they had been supported from time to time both by
legooy and isontributions, in a way the most gratifying
to them as • managing body. Ouse or twice it had
been in contemplation to reduce the number of patients,
because the committee had always gone upon the
principle that they would not get into debt, but for.
tenatioly their resources had always been ad quit, to
their wants, and the boanital is now entirely tree from
debt °wept the £7O or 80 due to the treasurer. The
services of the medical officers had been unremittine,
and he j deed in MAI expressions of regret that Nei
fallen from the Chairrnm with reap at to Dr. Hollis.
A better officer never was connected with any Judi-
tution— (bear, hear) - and In addition to its medical
skill he had shown himself one of the best men they
could have had for administrative qualities. His
&museum its here lad been of great value towards the
recovery of the patients and his orr gook ground outside
the house, and his amusements inside had been of the
most gratifying oharseter. The proposition which
tendered their thanks to the medical dawns of this
institution le one which they bad great plateau. In
making on these occasions, and great thaukfulnoss Is
doe to the medical officers not only from the governera,
but from every one of the subscribers throughout the
scanty—(spplgu,e).
Seconded by the Rey H. B. William',
Mr. H. N. liIIDDLITOrt said there we. one tell:ng
matter with regard to these account,, which he wended
to notion; the coot of potatoes and other vegetable. was
of large amount. It would oonf,r a very great favour
on the Hospital if gentlemen with gardens would bring '
in a large badret of vtgetables when, they came to ,
Dorchester. Ho bad done so himself two or three times,
and be bad received the thanks of the matron, who
told him they were not only of value and a lunacy but
they tr)uld hardly bill get here. He meant vegetable.
of the common sort. Where there are large gardens,
a large quantity of produce is cleared cif, and if gentle-
men would thick of the Hospital now and then, they
would do the patients good.
The meeting was about to break up, when the CHAIg•
Mall said there was som.thlog yet to be done. They
would have gone away without performing one of their
most important duties —that of expressing how much
they were indelred to hie excellent friends the Chair-
man, and the Vioe chairman, and the sonmittee of
management, for the very kind, constant, and nor&
mining attention they had paid, and seemed especially
to have paid during the pet year. An institution of
this kind cannot flourish unless it Is well looked after,
for even the best of °Moen would get into little extra
exp. noes, unless it has the superintending care of such
men as are now administrators of this hoepital—their
excellent chairman who has given so much time and
attention, and to whom it has been, as he had often
told them, a labour of love to serve his poor suffering
fellow creatures, and look after the intimate of the
hospital. They could not express too warmly their
obligations for all these gentlemen had dose, and it
must be • great satisfaction that everything possible is
done, for the good of the patients, and economy in the
management, everything is carried mess fully and ably
as it could be done. Be begged to more that the
thanks of the governors be tendered to the chairman,
vioc-ohairman, and members of the committee of
manapment.
Seconded by Clol. BINGHAM.
Rev. C. W. BINGHAM could only repeat, in returning
thanks, what the Chairman had already said for him—
that this had been a labour of love, It had been a
labour, if one might call it so, for a great many years,
and he did not suppose that many chairmen of hospitals
bad ridden and driven much farther than he had for
this 'foamiest lie supposed he had driven or ridden
21,000 milk in behalf of the le,net County Hospital;
but the work had become easy to him, because it was
each a matter of routine, and belted beanies thoroughly
well suppo-ted by the oommittee of menopause. He
cordially thanked his dear friend the vlo•-ohairman and
the other members of committee for the support they
had given him during the time in which he had held
the post with so mush comfort for so teeny years.
Mr. H. N. lIIIDtLITON also acknowledged the vote.
Mr. J. F. BODGE, desired the public should notice
the fact that the aorsounte are connected with this
wholesome rule—that the Ho.ipit al owes nothing ; every-
thing is discharged Up to the Mot. of DeosaiLa in the
put year.
The CHAISMAN Klause £BO.
Mr. 11000IM : With the exception of the £BO due to
the treasurer, the Hospital is entirely free of debt.
' The Rev. C. W. Htuanast said they ought to thank
their kind freed, the Chairman, for taking the chair.
I He was never wantiog to them, and be was never
wanting on any occasion of usefuleees in this county.
They ought also to express to their goo president their
sorrow
and their
nt him% cause wpethhiacth
bheasim
akye pntoth ism. t
if.rotom
feuhteumre,
mischief, but may be available In future years—
lipplanee).
The Cwitteltalt, In acknowledging tbe vote, said the
Hospital hod always been of ebegroatest interest to Lim,
and be should always be glad to do anything he could
on its behalf ; but he should be more glad when
he maid aft there beside his good friend, Lord 1201gby.
The wean; then broke up.