Statement of the grievances of the poor law medical officers : with remarks on sanitary measures and vaccination, addressed to the Right-Hon. Viscount Palmerston ... / by Richard Griffin.

  • Griffin, Richard.
Date:
1857
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Statement of the grievances of the poor law medical officers : with remarks on sanitary measures and vaccination, addressed to the Right-Hon. Viscount Palmerston ... / by Richard Griffin. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.

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    These figures prove incontestibly the absolute necessity of Parliament laying down a uniform and equitable scale of payment, and thereby removing the responsibility from the Poor Law Board and the Boards of Guardians, both of whom have clearly proved their utter incapability of dealing rightly in an affair of such importance to the poor, as well as to the Medical Officer. No. 12. (R. B. Cane, Esq.)—The Boards of Guardians in the first instance, fix that salary, subject to the approbation of the Poor Law Board, and when that salary is approved of by the Poor Law Board, is it in the power of the Board of Guardians to alter that without leave ? The Law has confided in the Poor Law Board the absolute power of fixing the amount of salary irrespectively of the Board of Guardians, and if they please, they can exercise that authority without reference to the Guardians ; but the general mode is to consult the Guardians, to enquire what they deem to be a proper salary, and having considered their answer, and their views, then to determine what shall be the salary assigned to the office. No. 2688. (G. Wallis, Esq., M.D.)— At the present moment there is no principle operating upon which they are to calculate the amount of pay- ment, it is a mere arbitrary arrangement between the parties. The Poor Law Medical Officers in their second request pray— Tliat a fixed salary, founded on the average number of cases attended during the last three years be adopted, the sum to be calculated at not less than 5s. per case, with at least Is. extra for each mile the patient resides from the Medical Officer's house. This request must be deemed extremely moderate when it is taken into consideration, that from the returns already received, the duration of sick- ness averages 28 days and one horn*. No. 985. (B. Kettle, Esq.)— South Staffordshire General Hospital average duration of illness, a fraction less than 30 days. Birmingham a fraction less than 28 days. Of the 500 returns already calculated, the average by salary is 2s. 3d. per case, extras, 6id. or 2s. 9id. on the whole. No. 166. Mr. Cane, of the Poor Law Board, says—My impression is that, taking the whole kingdom together, the payment per case to a Medical Officer would not average more than 3s. In the 500 returns, those for attendance on the Union Houses are ex- cluded, hence the majority are for country districts, which fully prove that the payments are totally inadequate to the expenses incurred, omitting altogether any remuneration for professional skill, &c. The nature of the outlay I will now explain, and commence with the item of drugs, the cost of which it is difficult for a Medical Officer to estimate, as they are taken from a general stock for Union and private practice, but in public institu- tions the information may be easily obtained :— s. d. In the Leominster Union it is per case 1 01 Hertford Dispensary 2 7 Township of Leeds 1 4 Plymouth Dispensary 1 41 Dispensary at Leeds, supported bv ) -, Kx Charity / l D? Exeter Dispensary ..: 1 11? Burton upon Trent 1 10? North Staffordshire 1 3 Atherstone 1 0 Cheshire 1 11 Carlisle 1 6