Report on the state of the lying-in hospitals, in Europe : to the managers of the Preston Retreat, and to the Obstetrical Committee of the College of Physicians / by James Bryan.

  • Bryan, James, 1810-1881.
Date:
1845
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report on the state of the lying-in hospitals, in Europe : to the managers of the Preston Retreat, and to the Obstetrical Committee of the College of Physicians / by James Bryan. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    in profit and honor to yourself, we remain, Sir, your very respectful friends, Ch. D. Meigs, M. D. R. M. Huston, M. D. John Ruan, L. P. Gebhard. > Committee of the College of Physicians of Phila. With these instructions I visited the cities mentioned, and re- ported from time to time, to the chairman of the medical committee. In giving a summary of these reports, with such other matter as may be proper, I shall adopt the plan of reporting on each city of importance, nearly in the order in which they were visited. LIVERPOOL. With a population of about 250,000, Liverpool has no estab- lished Lying-in Hospital. The only charity in this town which has for its object the relief of the poor parturient female, is one de- nominated “ the Ladies’ Charity.” This was founded in 1796. There is no house to which the patients may be taken, they are attended by female midwives at their own houses; the midwives re- ceive a small salary. The objects of the charity are poor married women having one child living at the time of their application. The number of patients for the year 1831, was 1752, while that of 1837, was 1284. The proportion of difficult cases, to which alone the physicians are called, is from forty to sixty per annum, and of these, about twenty require the use of instruments. As the greater part of the practice of midwifery in Liverpool is performed by females, it may be well to state, that the candidates for the office of midwife to the charity, become first private pupils to the Surgeons, paying a small fee. At the end of an indefinite period, they are examined by all the Surgeons of the institution, and their qualifications decided upon. If they “pass” they are recommended as assistant midwives, one of whom is appointed to attend two of the regular midwives. “This charity (in the words of Dr. Malins, who is its chief physician,) does not admit unmar- ried women; women in the first labours; women who cannot bear living children, and who have not one actually living; women re- siding beyond certain limits, which limits do not include the entire 1*