Medical statistics of the city of Montreal / George E. Fenwick.

  • Fenwick, George Edgeworth, 1825-1894.
Date:
1862
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Medical statistics of the city of Montreal / George E. Fenwick. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    the month of March 1815, when it was suppressed by order of the Grand Duke of Hesse Darmstadt. During the period of its existence, viz. 3 years and 4 months, 516 children were abandoned and received into the house ; in the 9 years succeeding its closure only 7 children were exposed in the city and environs. The history of all these establishments prove that they have most signally failed in their mission, the records of all shew a most astonishing mortality. In Paris the deaths are about 85 per cent of those received; according to Mr. Hawkins the mortality is beyond the control of all attention or skill. Of 1000 in- f mts admitted into the Hospitals in Paris, it has been ascertained that one fourth die during the first few days, and that of the remainder one third die on their road to the country to be nursed. In the Vienna Foundling Hospital the deaths range from 60 to 95 per cent of those admitted. Mr. Wild in his work on the institutions of Austria says that all attempts made to lessen the mortality in the Foundling Hospital at Vienna had failed. The Emperor Joseph II ordered a commission, at whose head was Professor Boer, to investigate the causes of this mortality, and if possible to avert them for the future; trials of different kinds of food were made, but all to no purpose, the mortality remained the same. From the same author we learn that a common practice, not only in the Hospi- tal but amongst the people generally, is the use of an artificial nipple, which con- sists of a little bag of linen in which is tied up some bread and milk or pap; this is placed in the infant's mouth for it to suck whenever the cravings of nature for its food are urgent; this is similar to the succon employed by our French Canadian population, and occasionally used by other nationalities; it is a com- mon cause of stomach and intestinal derangements, which as a class of disease are with us peculiarly fatal to children. I have no doubt it is within the expe- rience of most medical practitioners to have observed the pernicious results of this practice. I have myself arrested attacks of diarrhoea attended with colic, con- stant screaming, sleepless nights, and the like, by ordering the succon to be re- moved. In Vienna, scarcely one in 19 arrive at adult ap;e, and then in so miserable a state of health that they are unable to be sent out to the useful population. In St. Petersburgh the mortality is 54 per cent of those admitted during the first year. In Archangel it is 90 percent. In Palermo 7. percent. In Dublin, an average of 18 years, the mortality was 89, 29 per cant of those admitted. At the Charite of Berlin scarcely a fourth survived a month. In Rouen, one in 27 only of all admitted reach adult age, and of 108 of these, 2 only could be sent out to the industrial population, in consequence of ill health. In the Lon- don establishment no child is received, unless the name and circumstances of its birth are given, a special application has to be made by the mother, whose pre- vious character is carefully investigated; all this is done in strict confidence; if the child is deemed unfit to be separated from its parent, it is not received. When received they are immediately sent to wet-nurses in the neighbouring counties: every child hasasepirate nurse, who receive 3s. 6d. a week, and a separate allowance for clothing and attendance of an apothecary. The nurse receives a premium if she rears the child to a certain age; at the age of 5 years taey ar trcughtback to the asylum, where they are supported and in-