Report of Drs. Nelson and MacDonnell, and Zephirin Perrault, Esq., advocate, of the Quebec Marine and Emigrant Hospital / [Wolfred Nelson].

  • Nelson, Wolfred, 1846-1913.
Date:
1853
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of Drs. Nelson and MacDonnell, and Zephirin Perrault, Esq., advocate, of the Quebec Marine and Emigrant Hospital / [Wolfred Nelson]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    =e —2— Cnr ee Se —— tion, for, without a full supply of external air, it would be vain to expect any lodging place to be healthy or a fit receptacle for the sick. ‘The Commissioners were at a loss to conceive to what purpose one of the apartinents, a dark room, was devoted ; on inquiry, however, they were informed that it was in this dark room that the clothes of the sick were deposited, on their entering the Hospital, redolent'as they were, with perspiration, filth, and often times with vermin, without being aired or washed. In this abominable and filthy state, they were “rolled up and labelled,’ and there Jefi 1o fester (real formites from which, on the sligtest cause, pestilence might be generated and spread through the whole Institution) until the owners should claim them on leaving the Hospital. Now the Commissioners must be permitted to state that they regret, as they sincerely do, that such an unpardonable oversight should be all owed io exist, which could scarcely have been expected, in an establishment exclusively devoted to Sanitary purposes. They must, nevertheless, state, that there is a Rule enjoining: “‘ That the ¢ Stewards shalk receive the clothing of the patients, catalogue and ticket them, “and have such of them washed as may seem ‘to require it;” but on examina- tion it appeared that they ‘never seemed to require washing!” The rale should have been imperative : “ That all the clothing should ‘be ‘aired, washed, dried and pressed, and then ticketed, &c.”? This not being the case, a very unpleasant odour of perspiration and other offensive smells were apparent on opening the door of this dark chamber. The fact is repeatedly alluded to by authors, and corroborated by daily observations, that (as stated by Griscorn in his work on this subject): ‘* Scareely ‘any thing tends more to pollute the air than the accumulation of old rags and “old clothes, imbued with every species of filth, and covered with vermin, “ They constitute the lurking places of those contagious fevers that occasionally “devastate the neighbourhood of houses in which these wares are kept.” The distribution of the rooms appear to be tolerably well adapted for the purposes intended, and the whole Hospital might not be found exceedingly de- fective, had not the means of ventilation, of sach paramount importance in the construction of dwellings for mankind, been totally disregarded, the want of which, particularly when combined with other important items of mismanage- ment, may tend to very disastrous results, and even toa high rate of mortality. Of all the instances of faulty and inconvenient distribution which have ever come under the notice of the Commissioners, that of the cellar or basement story, was found to be the worst. The kitchen is situated here and is of far too con- tracted dimensions, to meet all the purposes of so important a department in an Hospital, it being only 6 feet 7 inches in height, and with but two small win- dows of four panes of glass each, 10 « 11 or'10 by 11 inches. ‘There are no means for the escape of the large volumes of steam continually arising from the boiling caldrons : The flooring is very bad, and is raised only a few inches from the soil beneath. and during high water, the planks forming the floor are lifted and are almost afloat, thereby rendering it very wetand always damp. It is a most gloomy apartment, and not at all adapted for cooking. It is as damp, repulsive’ in appearance, and as defective from the want of pure air, as it Is possible for any person to imagine, or be devised. ; The Kitchen of so large an Hospital should be a spacious apartment of at least 30 feet in length, and occupying the whole breadth of the building, well lighted, properly supplied with water, and completely furnished with all the utensils and conveniences required for culinary purposes. Then should follow IN succession separate store-rooms for all kinds of victuals, fuel, materials for nia and lighting, and various other articles necessary for so large an Institu- 10n,
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