Committee meetings 1856-62

< Skip to previous volume of minutes

The following notes have been extracted from the Minutes of the Committee of Management 1856-62 held at the Dorset History Centre (NG/HH/DO(C)/1/2/2).

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

1856 continued

Thursday, 24 July 1856

  • George Bankes left a legacy to be supplemented by his widow for the building of the last wing of the hospital. Correspondence from Bankes’ executor, John Floyer.

Thursday, 31 July 1856

  • Seventeen more iron beds ordered to replace all the wooden ones.

Thursday, 2 October 1856

  • It was resolved to raise the clerk’s salary to £20 per annum.
  • Complaints received about how long out-patients have to wait for medicines on Saturdays. Medical officers asked by the Committee to look for a solution.

Thursday, 30 October 1856

  • The house surgeon, Bacot, was seriously ill and needed to leave the Hospital immediately. The Committee voted £10 for his travel expenses.

Thursday, 6 November 1856

  • William E. Porter was selected as a temporary substitute for Bacot.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

1857

Thursday, 15 January 1857

  • The under-porter’s wages were raised to 12/- a week.

Thursday, 17 September 1857

  • George England, Joseph Mitchell and John Dominey (in-patients) were dismissed for “introducing Porter into the Hospital”.

Thursday, 1 October 1857

  • The out-porter (unnamed) was dismissed for helping patients to bring liquor into the Hospital.

Thursday, 15 October 1857

  • Charles Penny was appointed in-door porter for a month’s trial – wages £10 per annum.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

1858

Thursday, 21 January 1858

  • In-patients admitted include John Lewis, recommended for admission by the Committee “in consequence of his having receivd. injuries in the work of the Hospital”

Thursday, 28 January 1858

  • A charge was made against Nurse Frampton by a man named Cork of Tolpuddle. The matter was investigated but there appeared to be without “any sufficient foundation”.

Thursday, 8 April 1858

  • Dancy asked for an increase in wages on behalf of the nurses, but this was not granted.

Thursday, 18 November 1858

  • Bacot resigned his position as house surgeon.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

1859

Thursday, 20 January 1859

  • A gratuity of £5 was granted to Brown, the clerk.
  • The Committee agreed to advertise for a new house surgeon at a salary of £80.

Thursday, 17 February 1859

  • Only one candidate for the house surgeon post: Daniel W. Philipps of Halesowen.
  • Eustace Smith consented to remain for three weeks longer as locum.

Thursday, 3 March 1859

  • General meeting – formal election of Philipps, the only candidate, as house surgeon.
  • The Committee commended the way Eustace Smith had performed the duties of house apothecary/surgeon for the last three months.

Thursday, 16 June 1859

  • Chairman to write to G. Budd Esq MD and [blank] Stanley Esq with a view to obtaining two nurses for the Convalescent Ward.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

1860

Thursday, 19 Jan 1860

  • Complaint against Mr. Tapp (presented by Revd. Lionel Dawson Damer) by Thomas Critchell of Came.  Critchell asserted that his leg was dislocated; Mr. Tapp said it was not.  The complaint was dismissed by the Committee after investigation.

Thursday, 26 January 1860

  • Revd. Damer again before the Committee stating that Mr. Johnson of Piddlehinton had examined Critchell and had given a certificate asserting that the leg was dislocated. The Committee agreed Mr. Tapp’s proposal that Critchell should be sent up to London to be examined by an eminent surgeon, at the Hospital’s expense.

[It would appear that the house surgeon accompanied Critchell to London. The balance sheet for 1860 in the Treasurers Accounts (reference NG/HH/DO(C)/4/1/3) shows the following item: “House Surgeons expences [sic] to London &c. relative to a Patient – £13 5s. 6d.”]

Thursday, 2 February 1860

  • Report on the Critchell case – reproduced in full in the minutes – from William Fergusson, professor of surgery at King’s College Hospital exonerates Mr. Tapp (and admonishes the patient).

Thursday, 9 February 1860

  • Letter from Revd. Damer expressing his satisfaction with the outcome of the Critchell case.  The Committee suggested to Mr. Tapp that the Hospital publish details of the case [clearly it was thought that the incident had harmed Mr. Tapp’s and/or the Hospital’s reputation].

Thursday, 16 February 1860

  • Mr. Tapp told the Committee that he did not wish there to be any publication regarding the Critchell case.

Thursday, 1 March 1860

  • A suit of clothes were ordered for the in-door porter.

Thursday, 12 April 1860

  • James Payne (a married man), out-porter, was dismissed for visiting the home of Miss Johnson (who made the complaint) on two occasions, and kissed one of her maids, late an in-patient of the Hospital.
  • Vatcher of Whitechurch, now a patient, was taken on trial as out-porter.

Thursday, 20 September 1860

  • Voss to be commissioned to whitewash the wards and corridors again (except the new wing).

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

1861

Thursday, 17 January 1861

  • Upon the recommendation of Mrs. Dancy a gratuity of £1 a piece was awarded to Nurses Rickard and Frampton, on account of their long and faithful service.

Thursday, 31 January 1861

  • Ordered that Charles Penny, in-porter, should have a suit of clothes and that his wages from Christmas last be raised to £14 per annum.

Thursday, 28 February 1861

  • It appears Mr. Phillips, the house surgeon, has taken the porter out on shooting excursions and remained absent from the Hospital longer than the Rules permit. Phillips was instructed to comply with the Rules in future.

Thursday, 30 May 1861

  • Proposed to connect the Hospital to the town drainage and waterworks system.

Thursday, 6 June 1861

  • The Committee discussed the case of George Bartlett (under treatment for two broken thighs) who had on several occasions removed the splints and bandages from his legs.  The patient was warned that he would be dismissed from the Hospital if he did not submit to treatment.
  • Letter from Revd. A. Hawley regarding Samuel Barratt (admitted with a broken arm on 26 May 1859, made out-patient 23 June and discharged “Well” on 6 July).  His arm is now crooked.  The Committee investigated: patient has scrofula disease of his left wrist-joint for which he was a patient three years ago. He had returned to work and used his arm too much.  The Committee attached no blame to the Hospital.

Thursday, 27 June 1861

  • The cook’s wages were increased to £12 per annum.

Thursday, 4 July 1861

  • Mr. Tapp states that a female patient called Hunt is receiving poor treatment (details given) because the house surgeon has not visited her and has been absent from the Hospital until night time.  Phillips, the house surgeon, was forced to resign.

Thursday, 11 July 1861

  • The house surgeon was authorised to find a temporary porter during the illness of the in-porter.

Thursday, 15 August 1861

  • Eligible candidates for the post of house surgeon: Mr. John Bride; Mr. Joseph Hocking.

Thursday, 5 September 1861

  • The chairman informed the Committee that Bride had withdrawn his application and so Mr. Hocking was elected.

Thursday, 12 September 1861

  • Samuel Tompkins was appointed to the in-porter’s post on trial for a month at £8 per annum.
  • Mr. Hocking presented himself to the Committee.

Thursday, 31 October 1861

  • Mr. Tapp resigned the post of honorary surgeon.

Thursday, 28 November 1861

  • Mr. J. Tudor and Mr.  A. Emson had offered themselves for the post of honorary surgeon.

Thursday, 5 December 1861

  • Emson wrote a letter (reproduced in full in the minutes) complaining of irregularity in the voting for the post of honorary surgeon.

Thursday, 12 December 1861

  • General meeting – Mr. Tudor (601 votes) elected over Mr. Emson (526 votes).

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

1862

Thursday, 16 January 1862

  • Hocking, the house surgeon, is severely ill – a substitute will be needed.

Thursday, 23 January 1862

  • Hocking died on Tuesday morning.
  • The medical officers proposed hiring a “somewhat higher class of Assistant as a Dispenser”.

Thursday, 6 February 1862

  • Ordered that “in future the extreme time for the sheets to be allowed to remain in the Patients’ beds should be a fortnight but that they should be changed whenever necessary as heretofore”.

Thursday, 13 February 1862

  • Candidates eligible for the pose of house surgeon: Mr. G. M. Evans; Mr. Edwd. McCarthy; Mr. M. G. Sprague

Thursday, 27 February 1862

  • General meeting – election of the house surgeon.  Mr. Evans won 511 votes, the other two candidates garnered no votes.

Thursday, 27 March 1862

  • Mr. Batho had been locum house surgeon following Hocking’s death.

Thursday, 10 April 1862

  • Nurse Rickard is not to be attached to any particular ward but to give general assistance to the Matron.  Matron to engage another nurse.

Thursday, 18 September 1862

  • Nurse Rickard’s wages to be raised to £15 per annum.
  • Matron was authorised to offer the same sum to a former nurse, White. Both wage increases to be effective from next quarter.

Thursday, 9 October 1862

  • Joseph Keech appointed porter on trial for one month at £14 per annum, plus other benefits.

Thursday, 18 October 1862

  • M. A. Stickland – in-patient discharged at her own request – complained of mistreatment by other patients. The Committee investigated but found little in it.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Skip to next volume of minutes >