The first medical report of the Hospital for Consumption and Diseases of the Chest, presented to the committee of management / by the physicians of the institution.

  • Hospital for Consumption and Diseases of the Chest (Brompton, England)
Date:
1849
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The first medical report of the Hospital for Consumption and Diseases of the Chest, presented to the committee of management / by the physicians of the institution. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

    19/46 (page 17)
    comparing the numbers which represent the occupations of the consumptive at this Hospital, with those which represent similar occupations at one of the London Hospitals for disease in general. This comparison will aflFord us the means of judging how far such pursuits render those who are engaged in them more liable to Consumption than to other diseases. Thus, if we compare the 18 per cent, of out-door labom-ers with the IO5 per cent, of the same class who attend a General Hospital, we can say that there are nine consump- tive persons of this class to five of the same class suffering from other diseases, requiring Hospital assistance. Whilst, if we compare the 3.9 per cent, of printers and compositors at this Hospital, with the 1 per cent, of the same oc- cupation at a General Hospital, we conclude that printers and compositors are more Hable to Consumption than to other diseases, in the proportion of nearly 4 to 1, and, therefore, are sufferers to a much greater extent from this disease than the class last named. Amongst clerks and shopmen, the proportions are nearly the same as the last, viz., 4 to 1. Proceeding with the compai-ison, we find two in-door male servants at this Hospital, for one at a general Hospital. Tailors are in the proportion of 7 to 6, &c., &c. Amongst females, the great variety and number of persons included under the designation of domestic em- ployments, forbid any attempt at drawing inference as to the special influence of their occupations. The next class is that of needlewomen and milliners, which, whilst it represents 18^ per cent, of all the females attending this Hospital, is found to constitute 13 per cent, of the sick at a General Hos- pital ; thus, whilst the persons following these occupations are shown to be very liable to Consumption, it will be noticed that they constitute also a large proportion of those attending a General Hospital. Tailors likewise are nu- merous at both institutions. Clerks and shopmen, printers and compositors, as already mentioned, rank high amongst the patients at this institution. Hence, the inference is a correct one, which assigns to these different occu- pations the power of exerting a more or less injurious influence on the health of those engaged in them; for whilst some are rendered liable to both Consump- tion and disease in general, others who are less liable to disease in general, are particularly so to Consumption. In drawing there inferences, however, as to the effects of different employ- ments, it cannot be denied that other influences are often conjoined with those necessarily belonging to the occupation itself: for example, hereditary predis- position, intemperance, deficient food, want of cleanliness, &c. These circum- stances must all be kept in view in forming any opinion as to the injurious effects on health of any particular occupation. On the other hand, there are certain