The workhouse and its medical officer / by Alfred Sheen.

  • Sheen, Alfred.
Date:
1890
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The workhouse and its medical officer / by Alfred Sheen. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    for attending twice a week to shave and hair-cut the inmates ! The practice in many workhouses of compelling the Medical Officer to provide some or all of the medicines required for the sick, is an exceedingly unwise one, and is unfair hotli to the Medical Officer and to the sick. In the first place, it is a temptation to the Medical Officer to be very chary in the use of drugs, especially the more expensive ones, to the possible detriment of his patients; and, secondly, as the number of patients increases, his drug bill increases, and his salary is thereby actually reduced although he has more work to do. The first year of my practice I had a district. Exclusive of extras my salary was £40, and my drug bill £39. How can the sick poor be properly treated when the salary is so inadequate ? * DUTIES. In the words of the ancient Poor Law, and of subsequent “ Orders,” these are :— 1. To attend at the workhouse at the periods fixed by the Guardians, and also when sent for by the Master or Matron. * Although somewhat foreign to the purpose of this little work, I may point out the desirability, in the interests of the sick poor, of a large extension of the Dispensary system in the treatment of the out-door pauper cases, and the provision of drugs by the Guardians for such cases. The Birmingham system is reported to be a good •one, and might serve as a model.