The hospital of St. Bartholomew, Rochester, Kent.

Date:
[1929]
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Credit

The hospital of St. Bartholomew, Rochester, Kent. Public Domain Mark. Source: Wellcome Collection.

About this work

Description

A portrait of St. Bartholomew's Hospital, Rochester, which claims to be Britain's oldest hospital between the Wars, emphasising the hospital's diverse relations with the economy and society of the Medway towns and its dependence on voluntary work and charitable donations by the public. Of considerable interest to social historians of medicine, not least for its emphasis on the very close relations between the work of the Hospital and the economic life of the community, e.g. in providing effective care and treatment for victims of industrial and transport accidents, etc. 1 segment.

Publication/Creation

[Place of publication not identified], [1929]

Physical description

1 encoded moving image (31.33 min.) : silent, black and white

Duration

00:31:33

Creator/production credits

St. Bartholomew's Hospital, Rochester, Kent

Contents

Segment 1 This film is about St. Bartholomew's Hospital, Rochester. The hospital's historical roots are explained, then the film rapidly moves towards focusing on its current activities. A fleet of ambulances parade past the camera in a stately fashion. A street accident is then attended by one of these ambulances. The patient is taken to casualty where he is attended by the porters, a nurse and a doctor. The interactions between the staff and the patient are quite illuminating. The nursing staff are then seen leaving the hospital. There are then sweeping views around the hospital wards which, we are told, accommodate 2000 patients in total. 'Visiting day'; patients are seen receiving visitors. 'The Children's Ward', small children are seen in high sided cots, although there is a scene where children have tea on a small table and a baby is fed. Next the Pathological laboratory reveals its secrets: a man is seen looking down a microscope. A man has his eyes tested in the Opthamologcal department, followed by a young patient being assessed in the Orthopaedic department. Children perform orthopaedic exercises, some are sunchronised. At 00:12:28 UV sunlight treatment is shown immediately followed by electric treatments. These departments are also shown; Ear, Nose and Throat, Dental department, Out Patients, Dispensary, Kitchens, Laundry. The Countess of Darnley addresses a meeting of the Ladies Linen League. An observation is made that patients come from field and factory; local people are seen - men at a farmers' auction, children walking and people on the street. A substantial portion of the film has interesting footage of every day life including people cramming onto a bus. The streets are very quiet. A poster for the safety committee is shown, then general views of a factory. Steam rollers, then aircraft (possibly a seaplane) in construction are also shown. Rochester is on an estuary and so views illustrating local industries appear next. Finally, the film shows the fund raising activities of the hospital. Time start: 00:00:00:00 Time end: 00:31:33:00 Length: 0:31:33:00

Terms of use

Unrestricted
Public Domain Mark

Copyright note

Copyright previously held by British Medical Association and assigned to Wellcome in 2005

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