Self-supporting dispensaries, their adaptation to the relief of the poor working classes : with directions for the establishment and management of such institutions / by John Jones.

  • Jones, John.
Date:
1862
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Self-supporting dispensaries, their adaptation to the relief of the poor working classes : with directions for the establishment and management of such institutions / by John Jones. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Dispensary on Mr. Smith’s plan should he established in Derby, under the auspices of the Medical Society, which was negatived by a majority of one. The author, who was exceedingly desirous of having a Dispensary established in Derby, then addressed a letter to the local newspapers, strongly recommending Mr. Smith’s plan. He obtained the co-operation of some influential persons in the town — a provisional Committee was formed, who presented to the Mayor a requisition to call a public meeting, at which it was decided that a Dispensary should forthwith be established, to be called “ the Derby Self-supporting Charitable and Parochial Dispensary.” For fourteen years the Dispensary continued its operations with varied but diminishing success. At the annual meeting of the subscribers for 18ft, the following statement occurs in the Report—“The total number of ‘free class’ members at present on the books is 384, according to the report of the Committee read at the last annual meeting the number was 459, being a decrease during the year of 73. The number of honorary subscribers is also greatly diminished, so that the income, which formerly amounted to nearly £200, was during the last year £148, leaving a balance against the institution of £196, 14s. 9d.” Although conferring great benefits on the poor and working classes, the Institution was in a state of insolvency, and its opera¬ tions greatly impeded and unsatisfactory. This was owing, as was clearly ascertained, to a “ charity class ” being united to the “free class,” in accordance with Mr. Smith’s original plan.— Experience alone could correct this error, and the Dispensary, during the fourteen years in which such union existed, afforded ample proof that the two principles of self-reliance and reliance on charity are antagonizing principles, utterly incompatible with each other, and incapable of harmonizing, or indeed existing together, for a long continuance. At this meeting it was resolved to discontinue the “charity class.” The rules were accordingly revised and the Institution re¬ modelled, under the name of “Derby Self-supporting or Provident Dispensary.” About this time the following letter was addressed to the author by Mr. Smith.— “ When I first proposed to establish a ‘ charity class’ of patients in conjunction with the Self-supporting and Parochial, it was for this town (Southam) where at that time there was no Dispensary or Infirmary whatever, indeed there was none near to us. I was soon obliged to abandon the ‘charity class/ for the simple fact, that the poor would not pay for themselves as long as any body would pay for them. The same was the case at Wellesburn, at Atherstone, and Nuneaton all places where the Self-supporting class would have done well had it not been for the indiscreet recommendations into the ‘ charity class.’ I, therefore, long ago,