London (Ancient and Modern) from the Sanitary and Medical Point of ViewPoore, George Vivian
History
London (Ancient and Modern) from the Sanitary and Medical Point of View
Poore, George Vivian
Medicine -- England -- London -- History -- 19th century; Sanitation -- England -- London -- History -- 19th century
Among those who stayed at his post during the plague must be mentioned
Dr. Francis Bernard, apothecary, and subsequently physician (1678) to
St. Bartholomew’s Hospital. To rightly estimate his conduct we must
remember that the governors of the hospital, as well as the physicians
had deserted it. Dr. Church gives the following extracts from the
minutes of the Court: “Held at the ‘Green Man,’ near Laieton, in the
county of Essex, Sept. 28th, 1665. Forasmuch as it was now understood
that the two doctors were remiss to officiate or procure their business
to be done as it ought to be. It was therefore thought fit for Dr.
Bernard, the apothecary, whose ability is so well approved, should
prescribe at the present for the patients in the said doctors’ stead,
until further orders thereon.” At the same Court the salaries of the
two doctors, Dr. Micklethwaite and Dr. Tearne, were ordered not to be
paid.
The treatment of the patients in the early days of the hospitals was
occasionally a little severe. Thus Dr. Steele of Guy’s has kindly
furnished me with a few extracts made from one of the old committee
books of St. Thomas’s: “1567. Patients were ordered to be whipped at
the cross for misdemeanour. 1573. A hand-mill was ordered to grind
corn to keep patients from idleness. 1598. Foul patients (_i.e._,
venereal), notoriously lewd livers, were ordered when cured to be
punished at the cross before being discharged.” This reads like great
severity, but severity was probably necessary in Southwark, which was
rather a rough suburb of London. Thus an old map of Southwark given
in Mr. Rendle’s paper shows that in the year 1542 there were some
eighteen large inns, of which the “Tabard” or “Talbot” was one. Here
also in later times was Paris Garden, bull rings, bear rings, the Globe
Theatre, and lastly, the brothels or stews which were under the control
of the Bishop of Winchester, the denizens being known as Winchester
geese. Perhaps, therefore, it is not surprising that in this map are
shown two sets of pillories and cages, and that the governors of the
hospital found strong measures to be necessary to maintain discipline.
THE RISE OF THE MEDICAL SCHOOLS.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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