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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    House; the child, as it turned out afterwards, was admitted in the incubation stage of measles, and, as a consequence, we had an outbreak of measles in the House. It is difficult to see how such an accident can be prevented unless we have other probationary wards for mothers with babies. Glen, in his Poor Law Orders, says that the law does not admit of the Medical Officer, or of the Guardians, resorting to compulsion to examine into the state of a sick pauper, when such pauper (being of sound mind) refuses to permit of an examination of his or her person being made. This difficulty is easily got over. Every pauper on admission has a bath (unless otherwise directed by the Medical Officer), and an attendant should then see whether there is anything requiring the Medical Officer’s attention. It is realty an important matter that a pauper, especialty a sick pauper, should have his person ex- amined. If, for some reason, this is not done before his admission to the sick wards, it should be done subsequently. I will give a case in illustration. A man was admitted to our hospital suffering from some complaint, but he concealed the fact that he had also a large varicose ulcer on his leg; on getting out of bed one morning, this ulcer bled to such an extent as to kill him before effectual aid could be summoned. All children in the receiving wards should be stripped and examined.