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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    to the safe custody of poisons, and consequent serious and even fatal accidents, are not unheard of. All poisons should he kept under lock and key, and only the Medical Officer, Dispenser and Head Nurse should have access to them. It is even better to keep all medicines locked up as is done at our workhouse. ATTENDANCE AT THE WORKHOUSE. This is usually fixed by the Board of Guardians on appointment. In all moderate sized workhouses, the Medical Officer will have to attend daily, Sunday, perhaps, excepted. He must, in addition, attend when sent for by the Master or Matron. The authority thus given to these officers, although very proper, is not unfrequently a source of considerable irritation. I have had personal experience of this. A late Master of our workhouse was in the habit of repeatedly, almost daily, sending for me after my usual visit, and, in nine cases out of ten, quite unnecessarily. Matters eventually reached a climax. I was sent for, but did not attend, and the patient died without my seeing him. The outcome of a subsequent enquiry was to the effect that the Master should, in all such cases, before sending for me, consult the Head Nurse as to the necessity for doing so; and this arrangement proved satisfactory. ATTENDANCE ON THE SICK. In most workhouses nowadays, with any pretensions to completeness, there are either wards devoted to the