Statement of the grievances of the poor law medical officers, elucidated in a letter to the members of the legislature, and a draft of a proposed act of parliament for redress / by Richard Griffin.
- Griffin, Richard
- Date:
- 1860
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Statement of the grievances of the poor law medical officers, elucidated in a letter to the members of the legislature, and a draft of a proposed act of parliament for redress / by Richard Griffin. Source: Wellcome Collection.
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![POOR LAW MEDICAL REFORM ASSOCIATION. 12 Royal Terrace, Weymouth, January, 28, 1860. My Lords and Gentlemen, On several occasions, during the last four years, I have, as Chairman of the Poor Law Medical Reform Association, had the honor of addressing you on the Grievances of the Poor Law Medical Officers, and again I venture to trespass on your valuable time to plead the cause of my much oppressed Brethren. The question is one of considerable importance not only to the Medical Officers, but also to the Poor, as it involves the welfare of at least 4,000,000 of Her Majesty’s subjects, who compose the lower order of the labouring cla.ss of this Kingdom, one-third of whom are annually placed under the care of the Union Medical Officers. [1,349,443 were attended in the year ended March, 1858.] Innumerable appeals have been made to the Boards of Guardians and Poor Law Board to redress the Grievances complained of, but without avail. It is therefore to the Legislature only the Medical Officers can now look for justice, which they feel sure will not be denied them. In July, 1854, the House of Commons ordered to be printed “The Report of the Select Committee appointed to inquire into the mode in which Medical Relief is now administered in the different Unions in England and Wales,” which was moved for by F. Pigott, Esq.; and in April, 1858, the House also ordered to be printed “Returns relating to Medical Relief in England and Wales,” which were moved for by Lord Elcho. These documents contain an immense amount of information, and prove that gross injustice exists in many Unions. For instance, there are 79 Union Medical Officers whose salaries average less than one shilling for each patient they attend ; 290 with more than 1s. but less than 2s. ; 437 with more than 2s. but less than 3s.; 604 with more than 3s. but less than 4s.; and 462 with more than 4s. and less than 5s. It will thus be seen there are 1772 Medical Men who receive less than 5s. for each case of illness they attend; whilst there are 1216 Medical Men who have sums varying from 5s. to upwards of 20s. per case. The Select Committee of the House of Commons in their 4th Resolu- tion recommend “ That the Poor Law Board should direct their nttentiwi to the salaries of the Medical Officers, which in some cases appear to be inadequate to the duties they are required to perform.” On Feb. 26th, 1856, The Right.-Hon. E. P. Bouverie, the then President of the Poor Law Board, in reply to Mr. Pigott, said in Parliament: “ That in regard to the salaries of the Medical Officers, these were matters not immediately under the control of the Poor Law Board, they being settled m the first instance by the Guardians ; but the recommendation of the C^mittee had been attended te by the Poor Law Board, who had directed tho Guardians te take into consideration the carrying out of those ^ increase was going on in the amoimt of the allowances to the Medical Officers. From this statement of the Right-Hon. gentleman, it would be understood that every thing was being done that was necessary, and that considerable Sncrersrwas gffing on in the salaries of the Medical Officers, but he evidently overlooked the circumstance that a considerable increase had Lker place in the population, for we find that in 1839 the Unions had a population of 11,841,454, and the payments to the Medical Officers were £148,652, or a shade In 1857 the Unions had a population of 17,913,8/3, ana the pay ments to the Medical Officers were £213,655, or a little oyer two pence Trerfartlfings per head, clearly shewing that the receipts are now actually leas, in proportion to population, than t ley were](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b28716140_0006.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
