Identifier: historyofphilad00lawr (find matches)
Title: History of the Philadelphia almshouses and hospitals from the beginning of the eighteenth to the ending of the nineteenth centuries ...: showing the mode of distributing public relief through the management of the boards of overseers of the poor, gaurdians of the poor and the directors of the Department of Charities and Correction
Year: 1905 (1900s)
Authors: Lawrence, Charles, b. 1837
Subjects: Philadelphia (Pa.). Guardians for the Relief and Employment of the Poor Philadelphia (Pa.). Board of Guardians of the Poor Philadelphia (Pa.). Dept. of Charities and Correction Almshouses Hospitals Hospitals Hospitals
Publisher: (Philadelphia) : C. Lawrence
Contributing Library: Columbia University Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Open Knowledge Commons

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itness of the nurses is very low as a rule. The list pre-sented to your Committee by the President shows that painters,gardeners, car conductors, stablemen, laborers, sailors, and suchlike, w^ere appointed nurses and attendants upon the insane, withoutany method of determining their qualifications. Your Committeerespectfully recommend that this system be abolished, and here-after fitness and character be made the sole test. Another weakness in the management your Committee deemit proper to suggest should be corrected; and that is the want ofabsolute authority in the heads of the departments. The report ofthe physicians speaks very strongly, but not too much so, uponthis subject. In reference to the Physician-in-Chief of the InsaneAsylum it says, All attendant nurses are appointed by the Com-mittee on the Insane Hospital, and no matter how grave may betheir offences—if they be drunk, brutal, or absent without leave, theyare not removable by the physicians without a hearing before the
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History of Philadelplila Almshouses and Hospitals. 825 Committee. A system whicli puts an end to all possibility of exactand reasonable discipline. This system stands alone in this Com-monwealth in this hospital, and would be laughable were it not tooserious for mirth. The Physician-in-Chief of the insane and theSuperintendent of the Almshouse should have power to dismiss orpunish any subordinate promptly, without any appeal, reportingthe same at once to the Board. Dr. Bennett, of the Norristown Insane Hospital, very prop-erly said, The most unworthy attendants are those who are apt totry to appeal to the Trustees, and if the latter listened to theirstories we would be involved in endless complications, and myauthority and discipline would be greatly weakened. The management of the pauper establishments is, however,entirely vested by law in the Guardians of the Poor, who havecomplete jurisdiction and control; Councils being confined to elect-ing four of these gentlemen every year, one

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