The Express.
London, England, 1859-06-23 00:00:00

SURREY DISPENSARY.

Yesterday evening the annual festival of the
dorm Dispensary was held at the Bridge-house Hotel,
London-bridge, William Roupell, Erq., M.P., in the chair,
supported by A. S. Figem, lip , Charles Florence Young,
Esq., John Vickers, Req., C.B. Mee, Esq., Stanley Vickers,
Esq., 2. Payne, Eq.. C. F. Friend, Reel , of the East India
Hones; R. Archer, Esq., 8. Jones. Req , 0. Morris, Esq.,
Edward Rathbun. Esq., and about 100 gentlemen connected
with the 'county of Surrey and the borough of Southwark.
It should be stated that the Surrey Dispensary, which I.
denoted in Oreit Dover-atreet, near St. George's-
church, Southwark, was instituted in the year 1777;
and Its object is to afford gratuitous medical and
surgical relief and medicine, as well as attendance
on lying-in women to any neoessitens persons on
their application at the dispensary, and to provideettendance
at their homes when necessary to such of the patients as
reeks within the visiting district. It was pointed out by the
chairman and other gentlemen who addressed the company
twerabled how needful such a charity was In a district into
which the iroprovementsof the West-end and thaCity of Lon-
don had driven large numbers of the poor. and which
is many of its low lying parts was peculiarly
unhealthy. It was stated that two phyeicians and one
surgeon attend daily at the dispensary, and they vi.it the
home patents under their °meat their respective plane of
abode as often as necessary. From the statement of Dr.
Atha, one of the physicians of the hmtitution, it appeared
that the number of patients admitted during the year 1858
wag 4,861 ;cured, 3,801 ; relieved, 185; discharged at request,
115 ; dead, 162 ; remaining under ewe, 698. Of the above
number the physicians and surgeons attended at the pa-
tients' habitations, 850 ; of which 319 were midwifery owes.
Patients admitted from March 2, 1778, to Jesuitry 1, 1868,
307,098. Cured, 272,165; relieved, 18,400; discharged at
request, gone into the country, hospitals, &e., 7,608; dead,
8,437; remaining under cure, 598; total, 307,098. Of the
above number the physicians and surgeon.; attended at the
patients' habitations 82,746, of which 42,294 were midwifery
cases. The average cost to the obarity of each patient cured
is about 4s. 6d., so that for them= of three farthing's dayasse
ennui subscription may, in the course of a year, provide the
means of restoring to health no less than five or six poor
persons. The Influence and the benefits of the insti-
tution are, however, considerably . narrowed by its
want of means, and it was earnestly urged on this
occasion that the claims of the charity called loudly
for assistance, and • hope was generally eaperesed that the
dispensary will be enabled, not only to retain the position it
has already acquired as one of the best charities in the
country, but will give more extended and greater • elief than
it bag hitherto dose, and be the means of conferring the
blessing of health on thousands without being compelled to
clue its doors against any of the necesailous and deserving
poor who apply to it for usistance. All this appeared to be
Nit and aeknowWW by the gentlemen present, and the
result war a very lial subswipties to the funds of tits
institution.