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Other Workhouse Infirmaries
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Other Workhouse Infirmaries N ightingale continued to work on workhouse infirmary reform in various ways for the rest of her professional life. It was slow, piecemeal work depending on reformers in individual workhouses asking for her involvement. She was in touch with many nursing superintendents by letter, and invited them for occasional visits . They sought her out for advice on crises and difficult issues. She sent books to workhouse nurses and students and paid for holidays and convalescences. Much of the material concerns issues of nursing practice and so will be related in those volumes, that on midwifery for the most part in Women. Consultations on the design of workhouse infirmaries are related in Hospital Reform. Here we give highlights of developments on workhouse infirmary reform apart from Liverpool and London. Several items on similar American institutions are interspersed. There are some items in 1866, 1867 and 1870, but they start in earnest in 1872 and go on to the 1880s, 1890s and even 1900. Material on Irish workhouse reform work, mainly 1896-98, has been kept together and is reported immediately after the last on English and American institutions. The letters and notes have been grouped in five-year segments. In some cases only brief references are given, in others excerpts from letters and notes. 1866-69 Nightingale likely took the initiative to inquire for the plans of the new hospital at the Chorlton Union Workhouse, or at least a letter from the secretary of the workhouse replies to her inquiry.1 She wrote Douglas Galton that the Chorlton Union Workhouse Infirmary was built on ‘‘our plan’’ (see also Hospital Reform). She thanked Harry Verney for ‘‘news of Chorlton Union, which interests me very much.’’ 1 Letter from William N. Edgill 26 June 1866, Add Mss 45799 f264. / 465 She explained that the architect, Thomas Worthington, had sent her the plans ‘‘(for my correction) before they were finished,’’ telling him not to mention this to anyone. ‘‘The inexpensiveness is a model to us.’’2 Nightingale told the architect that she wished she had had his pamphlet on the exemplary Chorlton Union infirmary before she wrote her paper for the cubic space committee. ‘‘I need only say that your building puts its authors to shame.’’3 In 1866 also she organized visits to various workhouse infirmaries for Armand Husson, director of Assistance Publique in Paris.4 In 1867 Nightingale was in correspondence with J. Joyce, Winchfield , about getting a workhouse nurse, who should also be trained to do midwifery.5 Nightingale passed on to Henry Bonham Carter the advice of Mary Jones that he make inquiries of St Giles’s Workhouse.6 Source: Draft note or copy in Dr Sutherland’s hand, Add Mss 45787 ff145-46 [c1867] I have lately heard of a board of guardians having sent a woman whom they were desirous of appointing as midwife to a workhouse for one month’s training in her office after the Nightingale Fund had declined to receive her for a less period than six months, which we know from experience to be necessary. Looking at the amount of suffering and probable loss of life which might be entailed if this precedent were adopted elsewhere, I would beg to suggest whether the Poor Law Board might not prevent much mischief by requiring that no midwife be employed by any board of guardians unless her qualifications and certificates have been previously approved by the board. I should feel disposed to apply this rule to all cases and its practical operation would be that a better instructed class of women would gradually be available for the purpose. It has recently come to my knowledge that a board of guardians has attempted to obtain the services of an imperfectly trained woman to act as midwife in their workhouse. They wished that we should take her for one month’s training which we declined to do and they sent her elsewhere. 2 Letter 18 October 1866, Wellcome (Claydon copy) Ms 9002/66. 3 Letter 9 July 1867, University of Manchester, John Rylands Library Eng Ms 1154/4. 4 Letter to Douglas Galton 27 June 1866, Add Mss 45763 ff198-99. 5 Letter to Nightingale 24 April 1867, Add Mss 45800 f86, and letter of Mary Jones to Nightingale 24 April 1867, Add Mss 47744 f110. 6 Letter 4 December 1867, Add Mss 47715 f134. 466 / Florence Nightingale on Public Health Care [54.235.6.60] Project MUSE (2024-03-19 11:59 GMT) It...