The Express.
London, England, 1851-01-23 00:00:00

BT. THOMAS'S HOSPITAL.

Lest evening a converusione was held at eight
'Pollock, by the President and Treasurer of the above admir-
able institution, in the fine old oak wainscotted chamber,
keowa ea the Hospital Hall or Courtroom, for the purpose
of Marin from Mr. J. Flint South, • sketch which he bad
enepared of-the history of St. Thomas' Hospital. with anec-
dotes and reminiscences of some of the most per-
sew with it. The chair was taken by Mr. Bag-
galley the Treasurer.
The lecture, or address, wet concluded at too late en hour
le allow of more than a very brief notice of the main
mints. Mr. South began by saying that he had
Mown this subject in the belief that it would be
interesting to the company assembled to hear how
the hospital had aided in the advance of medical science.
The hospital of St. Thomu was founded in the year 1213 by
Robert, Prior of Bermondsey, and was built upon the
oellarer's ground of that prior. In 1214, two years after, it
was endowed more fully for canons regular by • Bishop of
Winchester, cud the hosoital won then held of the Prior of
Bermondsey sad the Bishop of Winchester. He continued,
to trace the early history of the hospital during succeesivel
reigns until the Reformation. when it fell into the bands of
the rapacious Henry the Eighth, who probably held it longer
than he otherwise would have done becalm he could net
find a fitting purchaser. He at last determined to found is
the plus (rose which the soaks bad been turned out a
eseeptecle for old soldiers who had fought In the
swat wan. From this point he went on to de-
amen the progreseive steps in subsequent times. illustrating
hi narrative with antiquarian notion. Henry VIII. greeted
It a elsarter. He expressed his opinion that there was reed
game to believe that Sir John Ayliffe had a great deal to
do with the after founding of the hospital, if he was not the
prime mover in the basins's. However the hospital won
bought of Henry the Eighth by the citizens, and they after-
wards entered into a subscription, or, in the language of those
times, • " benevolence," for the purpose of setting tip the
building and fitting sad furnishing it for the reception of the
persons who were to be planed therein. Hero Mr. South
pointed it out, is • lithographic republication of a view of Lon-
don in 1543, showing the site of the hospital, and that it con
slated of ealy • few gables. In addition to the subscription of
money, the eitisens also contributed the articles they dealt in,
foe is theme days no man felt aabareed of what he sold.
He thee quoted from the records of the time the names of
these whir had thee contributed in kind. It then became
seessiery to make arrangements for the conduct of the hos
pital as to the poor to be admitted, and what was
ogled e " book " was published, in which the sorts of
poor to be admitted were defined. Here Mr. South quoted
• great number of documents, and entered largely Into
details of the large amounts of subscription raised among
the aliases for the establishment and support of the hoc
pital, and showed the mode of management that was per-
med, the number of surgeons that were appointed and of
ieneate ellployed ; referring also to Christ's Hoe.
pital and Bridewell to show how the system ex
pude& Meek of the advancement was due to the
retinues sad exertions of Eiward the Sixth, who
ordered these three hospitals to be called "The Hospitals of
the King of goateed," and the mayor and commonalty of
the city were nominated governors of them. It was in the
year 1553 or 1554 that the hospital might be raid to be estate
HAW in its regular wo-k. To show that he was right in
this opinion he quoted a long string of dates and entries of
edmiesioe. About this time a circumstances of importance
In the history of surgery occurred in the establishment of
barbers and surgeons. So early as the reign of Edward the
Foorth there had been • corporation of surgeons, not befog
!webers, which did not seem to have thriven neash,
bat yet might have been composed of persons id
some consideretion at the time, for he found the aim
of William Hobbes, who was sergeant surgeon to Edward
the 4th, in 1661. He had • salary of forty marks a year, •
great sum in those days. Going on to the early part of the
reign of Henry the Eighth, the corporation of barbers wee
quite distinct, but it did not get on very well. 10 1628 an
act bad been passed to prevent any person acting ea a ear
gem melees alter examination by the Bishop of London,
emitted by four doctors and persons skilled in sure, ry, end It
wasa fact that until the last 100 years the Bishop of Lnden
claimed intervention with the hospital of St. Thomas.
It was in 1541, in the reign of Henry the Eighth,
that the act passed for uniting the barbers end
surgeons, but it was a connexion, cot • union, far
the barbers were to sit in one room and the surgecne In
another, end in the charter of their incorporation it was
provided than no manner of man is London or within a
mile of its compass should do any act of barber, or 'bevies
unless he belonged to the corporation, nor use and occupy
himself with any craft of surgery unless he so belonged to it.
Mr. South then followed the history of the hospital, through
the reign of the Stuarts and the Georgian era, until be
brought it down to our own times, He told of instances of
disputes and dissensions among the principals and surgeons
during the latter part of the last century, and he gave
en interesting account of the lite end career of the mlobented
surgeon Henry Cline, a bust of whom, by Chantrey, is in the
apartments in which the lecture was delivered. He also
described the services rendered by Mr. Abel Chapman, and
other pa to the hospital, until it had arrived at its present
dignified position ; and he concluded with • few words of
advice to the studebts, many of whom were present', hinting
to them that If with such great advantages for study as the
Institution afforded to them, and alter the great anxiety
which the governors bed tor years past displayed to advance
the dignity of the profession, and to promote the comfort of,
and increase the opportunities area advantages fcr the
students, if they would not work, the discredit would fall
upon themselves, and Lot upon the hospital.
At the conclusion of the address the company separated at
about ton o'clock.
to

CRUELTY TO AN APPRENTICL—At the Lough-
borough petty sessions on Thursday, a case was heard, of
such a character that the audienca several times gave vent
to their indignation and contempt. The particulars of the
case are as follow : —ln August, 1848, a youth named
Mickley, whose parents lived at Wanlip, was apprenticed
to Collingti a, tailor, of Seagrave. SJOLI after he was bound,
he and a fellow apprentice were subjected to trea,ment of a
most uprose end harsh character. Sufficient food was
not given to them, and at times that which was given was
unfit to eat. Once some liver which had been cooked
several days, and was is a mouldy state, was given them;
and because Bleakley's fellow•apprentice refused to eat it,
he was kept without food three days. When at work they
were not allowed to speak to each other, and for looking,
or smiling at each other, they have both frequently been
severely beaten. Neither of them made any complaint to
their parents, but on the 13.11 of October, 1849, Blankley,
who was then about seventeen years of age, absconded,
unknown to his parents, and went to sea. After being a
sailor a few months the ship returned to Hull, and Blank-
ley was discharged; but then, rather than return to his
'master, he enlisted as a soldier. He removed with the
regiment to Limerick, where he fell sick ; and after lying
in the hospital there three months, he for the first time
since he ran away wrote to his parents informing them of
his situation. &we afterwards his father purchased his
discharge, and a week or two ago he returned home.
Collington, hearing of his return, took out a summons
charging him with absconding from his apprenticeship, and
the case was brou,rht forward on Thursday, when the above
facts as to the treatment, &c., were sworn to by Blenkley'a
fellow-apprentioe. bit. Acworth said he had taken the
trouble to inquire into the character Blankley bore before
he ran away, and had kited that he was an honest indite.
thous youth ; and that his character while in the S.nday
school was unimpeachable. The magistrates recommended
an arrangement out of court, when the bitch informed
Collington that they were unanimously of opinion that he
was not a 8t person to have an apprentice ; and their decision
was that the indentures be cancelled, and that he (Coiling-
ton) pay the rata. The father of Blanaley, on beating the
decision, seemed almost overpowered with emotion, and
warmly thanked the bench.—Aoffinglione Jlercterv.

A CHILD KILLED 8! A LUNATIC MOTHEIL—AD
inquest has been held before B. Sparrow', Rag , at Lows-
tort, to inquire Into the death of Joseph &twin By, the
infant son of Isaac and Saab Bly, Anne Arms deposed
that the mother of the infant was her daughter, and the
deceased wu eight weeks old. Her daughter bed been ill
with a low fever which prevailed in the neighbourhood.
Wits's* went to see her daughter on Tuesday midst, when
elle found her " very ill and had." She could not on.
&mend what her daughter said, and then, CM opening
the bed to look after her daughter's child, she found it
quite dead and the throat cut. Witnete ran out of the
house to find the father of the infant, and when she re-
turned found that her daughter had cut her own throat,
but not fatally. A razor was found lying on the
chest. H. A. Chapman deposed that on going into the
roam when the mother of the deceased lay in bed she saw
her throw her hands about wildly, and say, " Did I do It ?
Did Idoit ? Oh no ! It was not me that did if." Robert
By, brother of the deceased, deposed that he had been said
by his mother, on Tuesday morning, to get her a gin ir, to
cot ber nails, and he brought her one. George Cleveland,
Beg., surgeon, deposed to the elicited condition of mind
and weakness of body of the mother of the deceased, and
of her saying, without queetioaing, that she cut the throat
of her child, than her own, but that she could not say why
she did it. Mr. 8. Brame, the registrar, deposed that when
the mother of the deceased attended to register Ma child
he found her is a state of great mental de; 'elision, from
poverty. The jary, after deliberating about half an hour,
returned the verdict Wilful murder," against the
mother, but expressed their regret that they could not
qualify their verdict by eddies their opinion of the poor
womaa's iasanity.

BO (MIMED MURDElL—Yesterday information was
received by the police that the ts.uly of a respectably-
dressed man had been picked up is the Thames, mar
Woolwich. The deceased must have been about 30 years
dap, sad of dark complexion. The skull sad right leg are
(natured, and woks of ill-mega are viable ea ether parts
of the body, on which nothing of value or to lead to idea-
tifiratiou of the body was found. It k strongly suspected
that the safortsaate mesa was robbed sad then murdered.