The Sun.
London, England, 1852-05-20 00:00:00

ROYAL ORTHOPEDIC HOSPITAL.

The twelfsh anniversary cf this excellent charity,
which was established in Bloomsbury-squsre, in the
year 1838. for the cure of cluh-toot, lateral curvature of
ne spine, and all other contractions and deformiti, 8,
44kS celebrated ti,e. the Altion Tavern, Aldeisgateerreet,
last evening. uio the presidency of the Eerl of Shsfies-
eory, chsieman of the hospital, supported by Mr. John
esaegsegor. M.P,, Mr. Jacek) Bell, M.P., Mr. W. F. A.
Pelvis., and many other friends of the institution. A
party of ladies occupied the gallery after the dinner,
end appeared to taken lively interest in the proceedings.
Ilse general condition of the charity is peculiarly grati-
fying and encouraging to its benevolent promoters, the
total receipts for the past year having been 2.418 L
I Os. 83., being a considerable increase over the proceeds
of
lay thetes
ynr
eteeavnri ottwun :a
es y
loei
fta
tr. l
thee m Tor
orheoe
s thanat c
stuu
ba2ls,
()twat:: •
noo
triil
atn ;
forl
k nd whichh asbo expenditure-
foreuetn
provided for 73 in-patients, the cost of all the expenSive
apparatus for the treatment of these and of all the Out-
patients and every other expense of the establishment
defrayed, being at the rate of leas than 80s. per head.
The total number of in and out-patients admitted dur-
ing the year was 1,433, and since the original opening
of the charity no fewer than 12,003.
Grace having ibeen said, and the usual loyal touts
duly honoured,
The NOble CHAIRMAN rose to propose the toast of the
evening—" Prosperity to the Royal Ortbopmiic Hos-
pital." Having explained the origin and objects of the
Charity, he stated that it was founded on the modern
principal of the subdivision of labour, and like other
institutions of this metropolis—such as the Cancer Hos-
pital, the Fever Hospital, and tho Small-pox
Hospital—devoted itself exclusively to ono de-
partment of medical science; and experience
proved the great wisdom of that division,
both as regarded the interests of the patients and the
progress of science itself. This institution in a peculiar
degree stood in need of publicity and contributions; for
it was not among the easy and comfortable classes, but
emongehe poor and friendless that those awful instances
of matfermation, of every shape which the mind could
cones ive, and far more terrible than he could venture to
describe, presented themselves to claim their succour.
Therefore, if they wished to know the whole extent of
the evil, and the-maneer in which it pressed on a vast
oartion of the people they must dive into the lowest
depths of misery and disease which festered in the filthy
end uninviting dens and alleys of that vest metropolis.
But if there were those who had neither the time
nor the taste for such minute and painful re-
searches, let them give but one hour's attendance
at the Onhopas tic -Hospital, and witness the Ey-
pl'eatior4 that were constantly made for admittance, and
he would undertake to say that they would be too
"'PI) convinced of the necessity for such an institution.
—(Hear, hear.) Now the position of the charity was
this—they had a building
fitted up only for a temporary
purpose, where they were enabled to receive some '36
inmates, hut there were at that moment on the books no
cases,less t
allh getting t 325
worse
eand
el 1
worse
them most
by
da y sntdr ems sainn
any
of them would have to languish for three long years
before theycould be roc-ived wittin the precincts of the
nnseited. It eas said that Nero fiidled while Rome
burned; aid there they were,
pounds, shillings, and pence, while hundreds and thou-
seeds of their wrenched fellow-Creatto es were fast pass-
ingutterly' cl tyt th
o.
into is state that would weiting for the ieflex of
human skill. lot to-dey was a% worth o
133 giving !heir silver tied oeld to.dsy, under the pro-
ote effortstnr r.w at.
to-Ina",'-)cr*Cr(m'' Gitodwotehled cirt?e'kueirde"'tuttigehi rvtritbeein .de
enon
cul--us poer to cure th.em. If any past of the institu-
t j straight.
of
a mtut
vi !
tiou was more interesting him than another it was tto
alperve the :enormeus number of children brought it it
oernandieg iu that pobilon in life that
if they were not admitted to rec; tire! the benefits of seien-
tiie treatment they would be left, when deprived of the
care of their parents—as many of them probably would
he atstantearly age—to languish forlorn and neglected in
their dirnal homes, uncheered by the light of the sun,
shut out from the breath of the fresh bre( zs, and never
visited, in many instances, by the voice of comfort or
consolation. Thus miserably situated, they must either
becomesthe inmates of the union, where their unsightly
condition would expose them to cruel taunts and heart-
less mockery, or crawl -about' the streets and public
thoroughfares exciting the mingled disgust and compas-
sion of the by passers. To his mind there was something
so distreasin in the case of these wretched children,
that if no -other consideration would influence them, he
believed this would induce them all to come forward and
assist in rescuing a lergo portion of their fellow-
creatures, and plating them, as they most undoubtedly
could, in a condition in which they could walk erect,
and obtain for themselves an honest livelihood.—(Hear.)
They would observe that these hospitals stood in re-
lation to the body precisely as schools did to the
mind (Hear, hear) and their most certain
and most beneficial effects were to be produced
by taking the patients at the tenderest ages. Thus
it became a preventive system. They heard a great deal
said about education, and the necessity of preventing
rather ,than punishing crime. They might depend upon
it it was in their power to establish a most admirable
preventive system in this case also; and as by education
they could anticipate the hulks and the hangman, so by
taking children at their most plestic ego they might
au-
tieijatr avast amount of human suffering, degradation,
and disease.—(Hear, hear.) The proposition of the
committee, therefore, was that they should contribute to
the extent of their power for the erection of a building
large enough to admit, not all—he prayed God to grant
Oeul the means—but a very increased number of these
unhappy °fleet& They had already diffiped the results
oleibeir system to- hundreds and thousands; and from
what they had done hundreds and thousands inferred
what they were still able to do. The Crooked, the halt,
thesmaimed; enerthe withered were in myriads expect-
ing-with
.eager anxiety the issue of their efforts that
nthige4:,.,latiilledAct,CluheitaktiiGrnmogßaen,arnestly for the descent of that angel I
anutheidultoh:i
edare
or.
f thethe blessingir
wealthho Of the Almighty, would stir the
and benevolence.—(Cheers.)
P P ef:47ey4e;;;etsitinitiwad:ll. had ar)
watched ne
M.P.,s
e next
services rop
oo sue d
behalfth the health
thiso f
, Similar institutions could not be too highly
feel-
toCLt6: leesh (s3pet t'avl the Noblc
'hit
ce.use of
sufferingch the Noble Lord had ever paid
rn
ne
yd
N. hadlaoiitb(whi knownay
lsecabhseua,
rti
nrah
Chairman
aeanr Noblemly
i
atteehcirl, and-both and his eloquence had been
satie.fictisti):: the company 1"
a r
uLhz
disposal.—(gear,
Hear, hear.) To
.purse
ass th~rrfore fully hear.) lie
feastt,rnple justice to the he hadt et "IV").
would do
, ra:saeftteorwthaerrnd:
and drink the health of h •
r •Th,'toast was drank
ith
n;? toasts thse wcet,rme,m"i
tTt
ofA sr et. he
wb issrhdosp;
5:.1 TCrdt,:itAti.Prct'dilfir!YslatSdffilCc:rjbk""and " The Ladies." *
The CHeleNae, in the course of the evening proposed
" Vim health of Air. Metegtegor, M.P., and the Com-
mittee of Stewerele".
Mr. MACGIIEGOR. briefly acknowledged the cempli-
is,eet, awl we ep'un the gentlemen around him not tQ
reldx in thhir 'drags to, place theinstituiloti at-the head
of the Lllii y uvkle chritiei that sclan thin greot meg°.