A history of the Bristol Royal Infirmary / by G. Munro Smith.

  • Smith, George Munro, 1856?-1917.
Date:
[1917]
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: A history of the Bristol Royal Infirmary / by G. Munro Smith. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    CHAPTER I THE FOUNDATION—DATE OF FOUNDATION—THE FIRST MEETINGS — CLAIM OF PRIORITY — REGULATIONS—THE TREASURER AND SECRETARY — FIRST COMMITTEE MEETING — SITE OF BUILDINGS—THE FIRST ELECTION At the end of the seventeenth century the condition of the sick poor in England was truly deplorable ; most of the large towns had, it is true, some public institution to which paupers were taken when they were homeless and very ill, but for the most part the indigent were dependent for medical care on the almost gratuitous visits of apothecaries, who were often, like Dr. Johnson's friend Levett, almost entirely uneducated. The consequence was that a poor person in those days had little chance of recovering from any serious illness, and died from want of medical help and from unhealthy surroundings, and the absence of proper nursing. In the early years of the eighteenth century, however, this state of affairs attracted the attention of philanthropists, and in London hospitals supported by voluntary contributions began to spring into existence. This charitable feeling slowly spread over England and Scotland ; and it is to the credit of Bristol that she was one of the first to establish a hospital for the sick poor, supported by the benevolence of the citizens. For many years it has been claimed that Bristol was actually the first in the provinces to found such a hospital. This has given rise to much discussion, and the point is now not easy to settle. This difficulty is due partly to the ambiguous use of the word “ foundation, which may be taken to mean either the actual establishment and opening of an institution, or the inception of the plan in the minds of the founders. Complications have also crept in from the alteration of the calendar in 1751. In that year the Gregorian system was introduced into England by Act of Parliament. Before this the year began on the 25th day of March ; in 1752 and after¬ wards it began on the 1st of January ; for example, the date February 22nd, 1738, according to the “ old style ” became February 22nd, 1739, according to the new. Great confusion has arisen from ignorance on this point, and careless historians,