Genealogy Chat

For those who are interested there has been new additions to the above site. More hospital records, and further records/photographs etc for other hospitals besides Graet Ormond St & Cromwell House.

One of the stories related, poor mites. Grotto place was apparently a living hell!


The Richardsons

For one family, the hospital couldn't overcome the odds which were stacked against them and they lost two of their children while in its care. The Robinsons lived at 16 Grotto Place. William was a newsagent's porter. His wife Bridget bore him six children. Mary was their only daughter, born after two sons. She must have been her mother's particular delight when born. But the delight did not last long - she was taken in to the hospital in 1895, only one year old. Mary was a very sick little girl. She was admitted suffering from stridulous laryngitis, a very serious disease in which the airways become obstructed, and the breathing sounds quite frightening. It isn't hard to imagine the panic which must have gripped her parents as they hurried to the hospital, with their little daughter struggling for breath. For such a young child Mary's treatment was brutal. Almost immediately on arrival she was given a tracheotomy, in which a hole is made in the throat so a tube can be introduced into the windpipe - circumventing the obstruction and easing her breathing. It was a dangerous procedure, even in older children. At the Evelina, 73% of cases in the register which noted a tracheotomy had been performed resulted in death. In addition to the tracheotomy, Mary also received hypodermic injections of strychnine, and doses of brandy - often an indication that a child was close dying. She lasted only three days after admission.

Three years later, disaster hit the Richardson family again, when their young son Dan was struck down with a fearsome twosome of diphtheria and tubercular meningitis. He was only two years old, and on admission he too was given an operation, probably also a tracheotomy. Dan clung onto life for a lot longer than his sister, but eventually the struggle became too much and he died after 29 days in hospital

Thank you for reminding me about that site. I checked it a few years ago and although I didn't find any of my relations there, it did give me insight into the treatment that some of my rellies would have gone through.

Off to see if any of my Glaswegian lot are on there now.

Always worth a mention this one, and taking time to read through some of the cases...
Thanks for the update Ann :-)

Chris :)

Your Welcome........enjoy!

I've found a child on there who is a relation. Now I'm going to have to go and find out two things, how we're related and did he survive. He was discharged because he started showing signs of Scarlet Fever (He'd been admitted for Pleurisy)

He was my 1st cousin three times removed and he survived!

Well done Janet, and a happy ending to boot!

Annx

off to have a look
thanks
kay

Hello Ann
Do you have the URL for this site it sounds very intersting. Many thanks

Chris

I have found the site just being a bit dense tonight.

Chris

Anyone else interesed just google Small & Special and up it pops, you have to register to read the case notes otherwise access is limited on the searches.

Annx