By Wilfrid Edgecombe, M.D., F.R.C.P., F.R.C.S.
The history of the Harrogate and District General
Hospital
From Boroughbridge
A sum of £3,000 was contributed from the Boroughbridge district
for the endowment of three beds, and £200 from the Grand Duchess
George of Russia towards a cot fund. The Infirmary Ball realised
£150.
But in spite of wiping-off in 1916 of the accumulated deficit by
the Fleming Fund, deficits on revenue account continued with
monotonous regularity over the next few years: in 1917, £1,335:
1918. £1,347: 1919, £1,541, making a total of £4,114.
During and after the war a number of new appointments were made
to the medical staff - Dr Laura Veale as gynaecologist. Dr Fison as
assistant ophthalmologist to Mr Steward. Dr Miller as pathologist.
Mr D'Oyly Grange as assistant surgeon. and Dr Saberton as
radiologist. Only then did the hospital begin to have facilities for
pathological work and for X-ray examinations.
In 1919 the presentation of a silver tea service was made to the
secretary, Mr J F Royce, to commemorate his 30 years' service. On
his retirement Mr G Ballantyne was appointed to succeed him.
In this year an important memorandum on the medical service of
the infirmary was drawn up by Dr Edgecombe, endorsed by Mr
Frankling, and submitted to the governors. The following extracts
from it make the position clear.
"We desire to call the attention of the governors to the
extraordinary disparity in the respective numbers of medical and
surgical in-patients treated at the infirmary. During the years
1913‑18, both inclusive, the total number of medical in-patients was
401: while for the same period the surgical in-patients numbered
2,493. Expressed in percentages the medical cases are only 16 per
cent of the surgical. Further, during the same period, 1913-18, the
number of patients admitted to one special department, the
ophthalmic and aural, was 936, more than twice the total of all
admissions for the whole range of medical diseases! These figures
are very striking and show clearly that the poor, suffering from
acute and severe medical diseases, have far less opportunity of
obtaining in-patient treatment than those suffering from surgical,
ophthalmic and aural complaints. Such a state of things is
manifestly undesirable."
Then follows a statement of the causes. They were deemed to be:
Lack of accommodation at the Infirmary; the number of beds is
insufficient to meet the demands of medical as well as surgical
cases. There is always a long list of surgical cases ready to fill
beds as they become vacant, to the exclusion of deserving medical
cases.
Surgical cases requiring operation cannot be treated at their own
homes.
The suggestion is made that many cases admitted are not strictly
eligible for hospital treatment and could well afford to be dealt
with in nursing homes equipped for the purpose.
Attention is drawn to the effect on the patients themselves:
Acute medical cases suitable for and deserving of hospital treatment
are perforce left to be treated in their own homes. Medical men in
the town have to a large extent learned by experience the futility
of attempting to send such cases to the Infirmary. There is rarely a
bed available for an acute case and by the time a vacancy occurs the
patient has either recovered or succumbed."
The memorandum goes on to show the effect on the Infirmary
nursing staff.
"In consequence of the paucity of medical cases the training of
probationers in medical, as contrasted with surgical nursing is
wholly inadequate. The Infirmary is recognised as a training centre
for nurses and the certificates of proficiency granted and signed by
the honorary staff are accepted by the authorities concerned. It is
felt that owing to lack of material the medical training afforded is
not such as to justify the signing of certificates of proficiency in
this department of nursing."
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