The history and statutes of the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.

  • Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.
Date:
1778
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The history and statutes of the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    are furnaces, the great mortar, and other conveniences, for the more laborious and coarfer operations, which had formerly been found to render the {hop diforderly, and to difturb the patients on the floors above. On the fame floor with the {hop, and adjacent to it, is the apothecary’s room, as likewife a dining-room, the ma¬ tron’s parlour, with a large clofet for her books of accompts, and other neceflaries. This parlour communicates with her bed-cham¬ ber immediately above. The phyfician’s two clerks, the furgeon & clerk, and the apothecary’s afliftant, have their rooms on the dif¬ ferent floors of the houfe ; and are fo lodged, that they may be ready to anfwer any fudden call from the patients. In the other apartments of the houfe, 228 fick people can be accommodated, each in a diftindfc bed, with a prefs at its head, for containing the medicines, clothes, or other neceflaries, belonging to the refpe&ive patients. One half of the Hofpital is allotted to male-patients, the other to women. Thefe two equal parts of the houfe are feparated from One another by the lobby, great flair, managers hall, and other public rooms mentioned above. The medical patients occupy the firft and fecond floors, and chirurgical patients the third. The im¬ mediate accefs to the theatre from the men’s ward, on the one fide,, and from the women’s on the other, rendered it neceflary that thefe chirurgical wards fhould be on the third floor ; for patients, after operations, are thus tranfported conveniently, and without agita¬ tion, from the theatre, to the adjacent beds on either flde. The great flair, being fpacio-ua, and of eafy afeent, admits of ftreet- chairs, in which patients brought to the Hofpital with fradtures, diflocations, or dangerous wounds, may be carried to thefe wards without difflculty. Further, patients lodged in that high part of the