Eastern-Dispensary for Relief of the Poor : Great Alie Street, 179 : having been received as a patient under the care of... Form letter for discharged patients to complete, returning their "most sincere thanks" for their treatment at the dispensary. Great Alie Street is near Aldgate, in London. One of a group of items which were part of the papers of Thomas Adams (d. 1813), solicitor, agent for the Duke of Northumberland and owner of Eshott Hall, south of Alnwick (purchased in 1783). They were sold at auction in Carlisle by Thomson Roddick & Medcalf auctioneers in July & August 2008. Another is a pamphlet "Plan of the Surrey Dispensary" which has an enclosed letter from Mr. Simpson "Mr. Simpson has embraced the first moment to procure Mr Adams a book of the regulations and such other papers, as are necessary to shew the method by which the business of the Surrey Dispensary is done - Mr S will take the liberty to call Mr A's attention to the additional advantage which the plan of that charity has over many others, that of midwifery - an addition which is deservedly worth copying. If Mr A wishes in any explanation or further assistance, it will give Mr. S no small pleasure in producing his mite towards so laudable an intention. Lime Street. Saturday, Half past four." It is clear from this letter, and a number of other documents from the collection, (there is also a letter from John Ralph Fenwick, Doctor in Physic, Durham, regarding the sending of the printed rules and regulations of the Dispensary and how they may suit a similar proposed Institution at Alnwick, his advice regarding subscriptions, medicines, etc.) that Adams was planning to set up a dispensary in Alnwick and went about gathering as much information on the management of these institutions as he could find. He collected other material from Newcastle, Durham and Wakefield. For some reason his ambition was not realised until after his death. The Alnwick Dispensary was founded in 1815

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Keywords: Social Welfare; Hospitals