Diary extract - Christmas 1843 - Hospital

 Extracts from the dairy of Edward Sendall 1831-1907

Norfolk and Norwich Hospital

"The Saturday before Christmas 1843 I went into the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital and stayed there 20 weeks. I was a patient of a celebrated Dr by the name of Lubbock  I was in the Accident and Operating Ward, there were some very bad cases came in as the Eastern Counties Railway from Norwich to London was being made at that time, but the worst cases were 1st a man who worked for Mr Coleman the Mustard Manufacturers he placed a gun in hedge on half lock and when pulling it towards him it went off and content lodged in his chest when the Surgeon out the shot his heart could be seen but in six weeks he went out cured. The 2nd case was from a village by the name of Hettersett the man had cut all round a tree and then went to the top of the tree to fasten a rope to it to pull it down the natural result was the tree and man came down together his jaw was broke in two places his tongue was cut clean through and his nose was broke. I used to feed him with Beef Tea he was fed with a tube - the wounds were sufficiently healed for him to leave hospital at the end of a month - he went into the City a day or two before he left the hospital to see a relative who kept a Eating house (he eat a spare rib of Pork). Hilton of Lincoln had an Elephant get loose - a Tobacconist was knocked down by the crowd his skull was fractured in fact you could see the poor fellows brains he died the same night. I being very active on my feet the drs used to ask me to wait upon them in the ward, the used to call me spring heel Jack., the Surgeons the Apothecary and Nurses used to make me useful at operations there being no gas and having a strong nerve I used to hold the candles when there was any cutting or dressing in the night and basins in the daytime - so I saw some nasty operations there was no chloroform then - there were three Physicians and three Surgeons a Extra Surgeon a House Surgeon an Apothecary and A Dispenser. Each Physician and Surgeon had a week for receiving indoor patients under whom they remained while they were in the Hospital, the Surgeons had Pupils which were called Dressers. There were no regular trained Nurses in the Wards - we used to have a Night Nurse she was an Old Woman that live in the City she used to come for a shilling a night and used to sleep more than half her time."

Comment by my father:

...more details of hospital life... 

Other notes

There are references to Edward Lubbock 1802-1845 on the internet. He published some medical articles. 
Location: Cambridge, UK

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