An account of the circumstances attending the imprisonment and death of the late William Millard, formerly superintendent of the Theatre of Anatomy of St. Thomas's Hospital, Southwark.

Date:
1825
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An account of the circumstances attending the imprisonment and death of the late William Millard, formerly superintendent of the Theatre of Anatomy of St. Thomas's Hospital, Southwark. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    logical phenomena. On the right side of the hall is a *• commodious dissecting room, which for size, convenience, and comfort is said to be unequalled. This room has several sky-liglits and ventilators, and is sufficiently capacious to admit of from one to tivo hundred students dissecting at a time, without any inconvenience to each other. From this account we learn, among other things, that this theatre^ museum, and dissecting room, so remarkable for its comfort, were erected at a reciprocal expense between the funds of the hospital and the costs of those whose interests were more immediately concerned in its completion. Now, although Ave are deeply sensible of the importance and value of the medical profession and of the necessity of affording every means for its cultivation and advancement, and, although we are convinced there are many more objectionable modes of employing the funds of a charity,^ yet we entertain strong doubts whether the Governors of St, Thomas's are justified either legally or morally in sanctioning such an application of the funds of the institution of which they are the appointed guardians. If it be necessary to convert hospitals into medical colleges, and to erect anatomical theatres, museums, and dissecting rooms, for the emolument of lecturers and the improvement of students, does it not appear just and obvious that the whole of the expense should be borne by those whose interests were more immediately concerned, rather than taken from funds left expressly and exclusively for the support and relief of the afflicted poor ? Might not those who are so unfortunate as to be under the necessity of resorting to hospitals for relief addressing the medical professors, exclaim, Is it not enough that you have our bodies to practise on when living, and to dissect when dead ? Must we in addition to this PAY FOR THE ERECTION of THEATRES AND DISSECTING ROOMS, where our remains are to be mutilated and exhibited for your instruction and improvement?-}- We have • See the peculations by three successive stewards mentioned in a preceding note. t The following extract, from the work already referred to, [Historical Account of St. Thomas's Hospital, Southwark. *By Benjamin Goiilding, Member of the Royal College of Surgeons, London, &c. &c. London : Printed for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Browne, 1819,] will shew the grounds on which the above observations are founded. The day for receiving patients into the Hospital is Tliursday, at ten o'clock in the morning, when those persons who wisii for admittance are required to furnish themselves with a petition, which is supplied gratui-