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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    promising young men in the profession, who would be only too glad of such an opportunity of extending their knowledge of disease previous to entering practice on their own account. I think the plan of having a workhouse infirmary entirely officered bj7 Resident Officers is not a good one. The work of the Senior Resident must in time become excessively monotonous, and it is better in every way that there should be one or more House Surgeons, and a Visiting Medical Officer or Medical Staff. THE RECEIVING WARDS. All paupers, on their admission to the workhouse, are placed in the male or female receiving ward, and they remain there until the visit of the Medical Officer, who then examines them and gives directions to the Master as to what part of the House they shall be placed in. This is undoubtedly one of the most important of the Medical Officer’s duties. It is desirable that his directions should be given in writing, because there can then be no dispute as to what his directions are. With this object in view, I, many years ago, adopted what I call the “ Receiving Ward Book ”: it is not one of the books ordered by authority to he kept, but I would strongly advise all Medical Officers to have one. In the column for “ Medical Officer’s Directions ” I use the words Hospital, House, Remain, Itch Wards, etc., as may be required. The