The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1861-01-04 00:00:00

TIIE PROPOSED SEPARATE WARDS FOR INttnABLEs.

The governor submitted the following report :
Pursuant to the resolution of the Workhouse Committee, I
beg to submit a return of incurable cases now in the medical,.
surgical, and bedridden infirm wards of the workhouse hospital.
The return is prepared from vouchers supplied by the resident
medical officers, a, ter a careful examination of each case, with
a view to insure the most reliable information :

Bedridden cases, suffering from chronic bronchitis,
rheumatism, paralysis, &c.
Bronchitis, acute and chronic, a large number of whom
will not survive the coining spring
Cancer
Dropsy
Consumption advanced to a hopeless extent 32
heart disease and shattered constitutions, hopeless
Strums, without hope of cure
Disease of hip joint 3
Idiots and Epileptics 6B

435

The above figures include only such cases as are hopelessly
incurable, and such infirm cases as rarely leave their beds.
There are a large number of infirm cases in the wards. cap..b:e
of walking about, but they are not taken into account. So
also, a large number of consumptive and other fatal diseases,
which at present do not come within the term hopeless, are
not included.

The number of eases from which selections were made is
864, so that 50 per cent. of those now under medical treatment
in the wards inspected, come 'within the class incurable. This
fact shows the difficulty which must be encountered at the
onset, in any attempt to allot separate wards for these cases.
leis open, however, to grave doubt, whether such separation
is at all desirable, and I have good grounds for expressing it as
my belief, that our workhouse medical officer would not ap-
prove of such separation. . But as, in the present state of the
hospital, it is not possible to do eo, it is, perhaps, unnecessary
to say more upon this point.
With regard to the main question involved in Miss Twining's
circular, namely, the propriety of grunting permission to the
benevolent to contribute towards ameliorating the condiiton
of incurables in workhouse hospitals, I would beg to offer a
few remarks. It is not my province to discuss the principle
involved in this question. I will assume, therefore, that the
committee decide affirmaovely, and admit voluntary aids for
the special benefit of this class. Such being the case, I would
beg to submit the following plan, as ben suited ior our hos-
pital for giving effect to the scheme. It has the merit of not
interfering with the existing rules of the house or rendering
any change in tire present hospital arrangements necessary.
Let a portion of the stores be set apart as a " free gift store."
Let the public he at liberty to send into this store anything
likely to be of use in the hospital ; fruits, wines, and luxuries
of every kind, books, &c.; all articles so received to be
acknowledged weekly ia the Governor's journal. Let such
stores be issued to incurable cases on the written orders of the
medical officer, and let his orders be carried out by the paid
responsible nurses in charge of departments, in the same man-
ner as all supplies are now given to the sick, and strictly in
accordance with the printed rules regsilatinsr the duties of paid
nurses now in force. This plan worked well in 1855, when it
will be remembered, the public poured in abundant supplies
in aid of the workhouse stores, for the w.sunded sol icrs who
had arrived here irons the Crimea; and I am confident that no
irregularity can arise from its introduction in the present
instance. . _

I would beg' in conclusion to remark, that the organisation
of the Liverpool Workhotte Hospital, differs from nearly every
other workhouse hospital in the country. Its vast extent—
over 1,2G0 beds—the numerous daily fluctuations, rendeted the
adoption of special rules for its management necessary.
One of its most important rules is, that each department
shal be placed in charge of a paid, intelligent, responsible
officer. of undoubted character and respectability.
For the guidance of these officers, printed ruies exist; and.
in one of these rules it is laid down, that she is to " deliver to
each patient all medici, es, food, spirits, nines, &c., and on no
account to permit any under-nurse, or other person, to give
medicine, wines, spirits, &c., to any patent, except in her
presence, or by her authority, acting under the orders of the
medical officer." Other most excellent rules are in these in-
structions, the object of all being to insure to he ratient, trom
responsible hands, all medicines and other supplies ordered for
such patient by the medical officers. 'This machinery accom-
plishes its object; and I am confident it is equal to any extra
duties likely to arise, in the event of its being necessary, on the
adoption of the plan submitted in this report, to make additional
issues to the sick.

Mr. TURNER—That is a very sensible and well writ-
ten report.
The CHAIRMAN remarked that a month ago he
observed a letter in the Times upon the subject ; and at
wito, with himself was of opinion
that it was surrounded by many difficulties. He heard
nothing about it then until he saw in the paper that the
matter had been brought before the Workhouse Com-
mittee, and immediately afterwards he saw a second
letter in the Times. He thought that before they should
take any decisive step, it would be well to allow the
Governor to visit some metropolitin workhouse, where
the scheme had been carried into operation.
Mr. PECK felt that it would be presumption in him to
utter any opinion for the measure in the face of the
strong opinion of the medical men ; but he could not
help saying that he thought that opinion very .unwise.
The incurable cases were very numerous, and certain
wards were overcrowded, and if their condition could
be rendered more comfortable although it might not
lengthen but cheer their lives at the expense of private
charity, he thought it was their duty to do so; and as
there was accommodation for 1,200 more than there
were in the house, he thought they might fit up a wing
for the incurables or a selection from the Governor's
return.

The CHAIRMAN admitted that there was a good deal
of truth in what Mr. Peck had stated; they would find
a great deal of difficulty in extending to some patients
what others could not participate in, and it might be
desirable to set apart a portion of the building for the
purpose.
Mr. SHAW contended that if they wanted to create a
good deal of misery, then they should place the in-
curables by themselves. For that reason he thought it
would be well to let matters remain as they were.
Mr. P. DENTON assimilated the proposed incurable
wards to the creation of a "forlorn hope;" and argued
that it was better to allow the incurables to mix as they
now did, with the other mtients of the hospital; sug-
gesting, however, that every comfort might be extended
to them at the expense of the' committee ; objecting to
the introduction of private charity, because there were
serious objections to it.

-Air: Churchwarden SMITH thought that the proposed
alterations would be an unpleasant reflection on the
medical staff.

Mr. SATCHELL proposed the postponement of the
consideration of the matter for three months.

The motion, however, fell to the ground unseconded.
It was ultimately determined to adopt the governor's
report, a copy being ordered to he sent to Miss Twining,
the secretary of the Workhouse Visiting Committee.
This concluded the business, and the meeting was
adjourned.