Inquiry into the treatment, condition and mortality of infant children in the workhouse of the North Dublin Union.

  • Nicholls, George, Sir, 1781-1865.
Date:
1842
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Inquiry into the treatment, condition and mortality of infant children in the workhouse of the North Dublin Union. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service. The original may be consulted at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service.

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    Dr. Duncan. 60 EVIDENCE ON THE TREATMENT, CONDITION, AND MORTALITY 828. Your recommendation was, that Ventilators should be placed in the Windows? Yes. 829. Did you ever report the circumstance to the Board that the Ventilators were not provided ?—No. 830. Then the facts are,that the Medical Officers recommended to put the Ventilators in the Windows ; The order of the Board that followed was, that it should be done by their directions ; your answer is that it has not been done in all the Wards, but that you never reported further to the Board ?—We never reported that it was not done. Witness corrected himself, by saying he believed he was in error, for he thought he had reported. He then read the following Extract from the Medical Report Book :— Sept. 23rd, 1840. “ The Ventilators have been put up very badly in the different Wards, a large space of about an inch having been left at the bottom of each, by which a draft of cold air constantly falls upon the Patients, that would not be the case were the vent solely at the top. Note.—The Ventilators to be made air-tight at bottom.” 831. Did you not consider that you had the power to have those Ventilators placed in the Windows ?—Certainly, and our directions were given so; but for a long time, I was not aware that the matter had not been corrected. 832. Did you not, when the matter was left to your direction, think it necessary to see would it he done ?—We complained about it over and over again to the Contractor. 833. My object is, to show the Board did their duty fully ?—Certainly they did. 834. And that if there is any neglect, it rests with the Medical Officers ?—j have no ob- jection to say so ; I think I have exonerated the Board. 835. To whom did you give directions to have these things done ?—I gave the directions to Mr Whelan, the Contractor. I may mention that the Ventilators as put up did not answer the purpose, and we have adopted a plan which has answered as well, in the Wards where no Ventilators were put up; that is, having a small portion of the windows open in each Ward. 836. Do youj consider having a small portion of the windows open in rooms in which Infantsjare placed, is a sufficient ventilation ?—No, but the Ventilators were ordered, some time ago, and have not been yet put up. 837. Why not order necessary ventilation without applying to the Board, if you thought opening the windows sufficient ?■—We considered the ventilation we recommended would answer the purpose better. 838. Mr. Hall In what respect has the ventilation provided by the Commissioners proved a failure ?—I don’t think the cold air comes up sufficiently through the space pro- vided for the purpose ; I don’t think there is a sufficient supply of it. 839. Can you account for this ?—The opening not being large enough. 840. Do you think the principle on which the ventilation is formed is objectionable ? I do not see why the principle should not answer. 841. Mr. Iloper.—You had some communication with the Contractor upon the subject of flues, like the Lying-in-Hospital, through the roof, and what answer did you get from him ? He said it would be very expensive. 842. We understood from a former answer of yours that the arrangement of Ventilators is not upon the same scientific principle as it is now in the Lying-in-Hospital ?—I don’t think it is exactly so necessary here. 843. Is our ventilation perfect and sufficiently good ?—I don’t think it perfect or suffi- ciently good. 844. Is it desirable to assimilate our plan to that of the Lying-in-Hospital ?—I don’t think it necessary to have the same perfect system of ventilation here as there. 845. Have you not found that it was much easier to get an order from the Board to have it done, than to have that order executed?—Yes, in repeated instances; not in this instance only, but in others. 846. You have stated that you complained to the Matron of the insufficiency of the cloth- ing of the Infants, that they were too small and scanty. Do you consider the Board gave any directions as to the curtailment of the materials for making clothes ?—No. 847. You don’t suppose it was from any wish upon the part of the Board to stint them, that the clothes were made too short ?—No. 848. The figures given in the resolution agreed to by this Board, as the ground of an enquiry, a fortnight ago, are calculated, although it was not intended, to mislead persons not in the habit of looking to such calculations. Some persons have taken the Mortality upon the first return, at 90 per cent.; is not this a great exaggeration ?—It is, certainly, a very great exaggeration. 849. You have stated that the Mortality in this Workhouse, taking all the circumstances into consideration, is extreme ?—I think we have had more deaths here than we should have had. 850. Will you state to the Commissioner, what you do really consider the rate of Mor- tality here, amongst the Infants under one year of age, to have been per cent., and also be pleased to state how you made your calculations with reference to the accredited tables of Mortality ?—I have made no calculation of Infants under one year of age ; my calculation applies to Infants under two. 851. The principle upon which you went, was that death should be considered with the average number of constant residents, and not with the admissions ?—Yes.