Hi Peter
I can't directly answer your question but I will chime in from what I
know of my mother's birth. My mum was born in what my grandfather
called "a tin shack" where my grandparents lived at that time. Mum
was born premature, weighed 2lbs at birth and she experienced many
seizures. The doctor told my grandmother she was not going to survive
and to leave her, etc. My grandmother was a nurse before she married,
so she had some experience of caring for sick people. She kept my
mother in an 'airing cupboard', wrapped in cotton wool and she was fed
on goat's milk using a feather. I know people were curious to see my
mother, due to her size and people not seeing anything like that
before. I'm told my grandfather used to turn them away - "She is not
a freak show!" Mum obviously survived, otherwise I wouldn't be here.
Not the workhouse or as far back as 1890 but at the time of mum's
birth there was no fancy drugs, no incubators, no hospital and my
grandparents were poor. Technology just consisted of a cupboard, a
bird's feather, goat's milk and cotton wool.
Given the doctor's attitude, the chances of premature survival back
then was small.
Alison
On 15 December 2013 16:06, Peter Park <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Hi All,
>
>
>
> I have been looking at workhouse records recently and a couple of things
> have puzzled me, both concerning medical matters, an area where I have no
> expertise.
>
>
>
> 1. A child was born in Bolton Union Workhouse at the end of November
> 1890, by my calculation he was conceived towards the end of February.
> However, the mother had been in the workhouse since mid-January, with the
> exception of a few hours in mid-April. What is the likelihood of a child
> born two months prematurely surviving in the 1890s?
>
> 2. A number of inmates were admitted with “ulcerated legs”. The plans
> for Preston Workhouse show that in the infirmary there were specific
> ulcerated leg wards. What was it about leg ulcers that
>
> warranted specialist wards?
>
>
>
> Thanks,
>
> Peter Park,
>
> Fulwood
>
> Lancashire
>
>
|