Statement of the grievances of the poor law medical officers : with remarks on sanitary measures and vaccination, addressed to the Right-Hon. Viscount Palmerston ... / by Richard Griffin.

  • Griffin, Richard.
Date:
1857
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Statement of the grievances of the poor law medical officers : with remarks on sanitary measures and vaccination, addressed to the Right-Hon. Viscount Palmerston ... / by Richard Griffin. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.

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    shortened, and the average duration of his life is less than in any other profession; and that, thus prematurely cut off, he too frequently leaves his wife and children penniless, and supplicants for relief from that noble institution the Royal Benevolent College. The Surgeon of the Sherborne Union, who has just resigned, (Lancet, Dec. 13th, 1856,) had travelled during one year, 3,111 miles, and that in nine years two horses were worn out in the work; that for this travel and time, to say nothing of drugs, (the consumption of which is at times frightful,) the salary is £63 a year besides extras —a wonderful matter truly—some £25 or £30 a year, for amputations, fractures, labours, swelling up to a total so tempting, that if any ' young man,' (to whom one of the Guardians thought it would only prove a little pleasant riding) is disposed to try it, he may rest assured a very few years of such work will go far towards making an old one of him. The foregoing conclusively proves the absolute necessity of an allowance being made for ahorse, &c, and I know of no way so fair as that proposed in the Petition of the Union Medical Officers, that a mileage be paid of not less than one shilling per mile for each case the first four miles, and after that two shillings per mile, thus, if a Medical Officer live three miles from his patient's residence, he will be paid as follows (the average distance in 250 returns is 3 miles.) s. d. For Drugs per case 1 6 Use of Surgery, Dispensing, &c 1 0 Professional advice and visits 2 6 Journey to be paid only once during an illness ... 3 0 8 0 As an example of mileage, awarded by the Legislature to an Officer who has neither mental anxiety nor night work to trouble him in its per- formance, who is not required to keep a horse, as the summons may be served at his leisure by any inferior person employed by him, I will quote the schedule for the remuneration of a High Bailiff, by which it will be seen, he is paid Is. 3d. for going three miles, whilst the Poor Law Medical Officer asks only 3s. for travelling thirty miles, the average distance of his patients' residence being three miles, and the number of his visits ten. Schedule for the remuneration of High Bailiffs. Maximum Salary £600, and in large districts £100 will be added in the shape of Responsibility-money. An allowance for mileage on the service of Summons. S. d. TOTAL FOR MILEAGE. S. d. Within 1 mile ... 0 4 0 4 2 miles ... 0 5 Extra 0 9 3 ... 0 6 1 3 4 ... 0 7 1 10 5 ... 0 8 2 6 6 ... 0 9 3 3 7 ... 0 10 4 1 8 ... 0 11 5 0 9 ... 1 0 6 0 and 1 0 per mile for every mile above that distance. For Executions and Commitments Under £5 2 6 £5 and under £10 5. 0 £10 and upwards 10 0 and double the above mileage upon all.