Medical Care for Working-class Children in the Late Eighteenth and Early Nineteenth Century

Dispensaries, voluntary infirmaries, and domestic medicine were all used in order to care for sick children in the period c. 1770–1834. Each of these institutions had their own entry requirements, and a large number of dispensaries and voluntary infirmaries demanded recommendation from a governor or subscriber. A governor, or subscriber, paid a set amount to the institution in order to help it remain financially viable. In return, each was allowed to have one patient on the books – more if they were paying a substantial sum in subscriptions. Patients had to petition a local governor in order to be accepted into the institution. This was important for several reasons. First, it meant that if a disease was spreading through a family, a choice had to be made as to who would receive treatment. It also meant that the patient, or the parent of the patient, needed to have access to a governor willing to petition for their admission to the institution. Second, the patients, and their families, had to adhere to strict conditions of entry. These included presenting themselves at a specific place and time, ensuring that all prescribed medications were only taken by the patient, and attending all follow up appointments as required. Third, once restored to health, the patient had to write to the governor to express their thanks for the assistance they had provided.