Thames Goldfields Hospital.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2596, 3 May 1877, Page 3

Thames Goldfields Hospital.

The usual monthly meeting of the committee of this institution was held at the Salutation Hotel at four o'clock yesterday afternoon. There were present—Mr Uenshaw (President), Keys. J. Hill, V, Lush, Father Chastagon, Messrs Ahier, Bagnall, Comer, Daviev HickSj Miller, Mulligan and Mellhone. MINUTES.' The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed without comment. HOUSE COMMITTEE'S EEPORT.

The House Committee's report was then read as follows :—" The Housa Committee have the honour to report that during the month they have visited the hospital on different occasions, and found everything satisfactory. During the present month it will be necssary to lay in a stock of firewood, and also to call for applications for the offices of House Surgeon, Dispenser, and Secretary. Applications for the position of wardsman, vacated by the resignation of Mv H. Menary, will be laid before you." The adoption of the report was car-, ried; '...'./ ; '„'. . ■-.-.■. •'.-- ' • ;••; . .. FIREWOOD. : j On the motion of Mr Bagnall ife was resolxed that the ; House Comraittre be insisted to call for tenders for supplying 40 tons of fireweod for the use of the Hospital in winter. . ! '-. APPOINTMENT. OF OKFICEBS. The President- drew the attention of the CoYnmitte/tp that part : of the Hous-e Committee's report which statedvthat the time for calling- for applications for the office of House, Surgeon, etc., had come round. Mr Bagnall thought that they should fix the amQunt of- the salary before calling for the applications. He then referred to the custom of calling for applications for the secretaryship at a fixed salary, and then giving a bonus afterwards. The Rev. Mr Hill said he thought £30 too small for the work]done by the secretary/ He thought that the salary should be increased, and would propose that a secretary be advertised for at £40 per annum. ' . .Mr Mcllhone said he thought that they should advertise as heretofore. ,He moved an amendment to that effect. Mr Bagnall. said that Mr Mcllhone's amendment was merely, a negative to the motion; - . ' The motion was then put .and carriedalmost unanimously. ■ TBEASUBEkVkEPOKT. • " ■ Mr Hudson then read the Treasurer's monthly report as follows : —Balancesheet for month ending 30th April,lß77 ; Receipts : Dr. To balance, £163 19s lOd ; subscriptions account, £22 9s 6d; dona,tions account, £1 14s 6d ; patients'. charges account, £.1 17s 6d ; , Hospital Sunday account, £5 2s 6d—£l9s 3s 10d. Expenditure: Ci\ By salaries account, £53 0s 4d ; maintenance account, £32 Is Id; medical comforts account, £5 8s; printing, advertising, &c, account, £2 9s; furniture account,' 13s. 8d; miscellaneous expenses account, 7s 8d ; commission account, £4 6s 6d ; balance, £96 17s 7d—£l9s 3s. 10d.^ Liabilities:— Salaries, £52 18s 2d ; general account, £36 13s—£89 11s 2d. Assets:—Bant balance, £89 5s 5d ; cash balance, £7 123 2d; Government grant, J6333 6s-8d ; less liabilities, £89 11s 2d—£34o 13* Id.

- Mr Bagnall moved, and Father Chastagnon seconded, that the report te adopted. Carried. . :

HOTJSE STJEGEON's BEPOET,

The following report of the House Burgeon was re;id:-— (< I have the honor to report for the information of the Com-' mittee, that on the 31st.of March ultimo ( there.remained in the Hospital 17 patients; that during r tbe month of April there were 10 admissions, and 11 patients were discharged, and on the 30th of April 16 remained under treatment. Analysing the.cases in'the House, there are 2 cases paralysis, % bronchitis, 2 fracture, 1 rheumatism, 1 chronic encephalitis, 1 scrofula, 1 gout, 1 hsematuria, 1 abscess, 1 gunshot wound, 1 tumour,. 1 contusion, and I softening of the brain. The plan devised by the House Committee of enlarging the: beds in the accident ward has proved a success, and will conduce much to the comfort of the patients. During the month the junior wardsman tendered his resignation to the House Committee, but is now anxious to withdraw it. I have had no occasion to find fault with him. since his appointment, and consider him Well qualified for his position.—-Wm. A. Peeston, M.D-.,,House Surgeon. Mr Bagnall moved, and Mr. Corner seconded, that the, report be adopted. Carried. , ' GOEBESPOM PENCE. A letter was read frqrn the Colonial Secretary's oflice slating that the Government grant was to be placed to the credit of the Hospital. It has already been published. , . '■-■ DE PAYNE'S;EXPLANATION.

The following letter was then read from Dr j?ayne'i—" Gentlemen, —May Ibe excused in" bringing before your notice the -circumstances attending the" postmortem examination on the body of the late Mr Macdonald, which was performed by me in the dead house belonging to your hospital on Tuesday, the 10th April. In the first ytyjfe) the simple facts are as follows : —Between 10 and half-past 10 o'clock on the morning iv question I received instructions from the police to perform the post mortem, and at a quarter to 11 j as nearly as possible, the constable on duty opened the door of the morgue, showing the jbody dressed in its usual clothes: There were no conveniences in the room of any kind whatever, not even # basin x>£ water, which was, however, procured, by the police, who informed me .that Mr Aitken was very much put out at the body being admitted into the hospital premises at all. J was astonished at {he total absence of any attendant on the part of the hospital, but, imagining it to have beenan oversight, I sent the constable to request permission to obtain the services of one of the junioiY servants, but he so^n returned with a message that none cou d be .spared. ' Thanks, however, +o some kindly volunteered aid I was enabled to finish my somewhat unpleasant duties* wjthout being overburdened by the courtesy o$ the;h6spital dispenser ; for the use pf a towel, to wipe my hands I have to thank one whom I believe to be oook to the establishment. Although I felt the pointed want* of attention shown me, and was much surprised at it, yet I never for. one moment supposed, that pariizanship would Lave obtruded itself into the presence of the dead, or that poor Maedonald would have been left in the disgraceful state in which it gpppars he was found by tjie jury, but assumed as a simple matter pf course tii^t the premises would have

been put in a proper state by the hospital servants between 1 o'clock and half-past 2, when the jury visiied the body. I was, I consider,- justified in my assumption by knowing as a simple fact that such is always the case where a post mortrm is conducted on the hospital premises, and moreover that such was the case when I performed a similar duly in your hospital on the body of a man that, fell down an embaukment iivthe la'.ter end of 1874- or beginning of 1875, Dr Kilgour officiating as coroner. In that case the man was dead when brought to the hospital; the junior wardsman assisted me; water, towels, and everything, necessary: weie found, and no fault could be found in the ' surroundings.' I would by no means have been above giving, a helping hand had I been asked,.or ercn without that formality, but I repeat there was literally no convenience of any sort or kind, and no attempt at courtesy on the part of those who Vere in charge of the hospital; so hiving performed my duty, I left Air Ailkeh to perform what I conceived to be his, never doubting for one moment but that it would have been properly and promptly done. My chief object .in writing this is to exonerate myself in the minds of some from the impression that I was indifferent as to the trs-itraent. the body of the poor man .received, whi 1' i c reverse was the case. —] am, &c, M_,xai^ 11. Payne. Mary-street. Thames, April 14. 1877." . '. . '•• :...

The President said that he had made enquiries of the police, and he had been informed that if .the body had been taken to an hotel the police would have seen that everything" necessary was done. Mr Miller asked if the policeman had riot the key of the morgue after the post mortem.

The P-resident said that the policeman had had the key. . . Mr Mcllhone said that as the case was a rather novel one, ana one-that'might occur again, he would move that the matter he referred to the House Committee to report on, and give suggestions in case of a. similar case again occurring. : v ;.booK's salary. . f: A letter from the cook, Wi}liatnSwhi- ldells, applying for an increase of salary/ was then read. ; : ,.. "..■■ ■',/,■■ ..Mr Miller said that Mr Aitken had told him: that the > cook w-a's well worth .the increase in the salary. .The bills had been greatly reduced, and all through his economy. . : . . ■< . Referred to House Committee. . '.;. ;•' : wAUDpiAN. ;'■■'-'■■ ; . Applicatrans for the situation of wardsman in tlie Hospital, accompanied by testimonials, were -then read from Messrs Holiday Batten, Fields, Bridges, Blackmore, Colman, Menary,'and-Quigley. Mr • Mcllhone said ho -thought that Menary should .gel- another trial. He. had been a:vrTv good wardsman. ■ This'was a^lct-d to. : ■'■-'■■ ■■ -; ■ . ": ' . nOtTSE COMMITriEE. . The fo lowing gent'letnen are the House Committee fur-the ensuing month :—The Rev..Father Chastagnou,; Messrs Miller, Macnab, aud.M( Cuilough. - The meeling then adjoui'ned.