nursing/hospital history books

[nursesue]

Whislt searching for a copy of Birmingham Hospitals an old picture postcards by Mary Harding ( as recommended by Pete) I stumbled across a 1950s book titled British Hospitals by A.G.L. Ives. Its rather old and battered but a finding read of the finding of many of our early hospitals, history and pictures of some of our earliest hospitals. One chapter in paticular is an insight in to nurse training. "In June 1860, the first fifteen probationers were admitted for a year's training in the Nightingale School. The essential principles were two: (1) that nurses should have their training in hospitals specially organised for the purpose:(2) that they should live in a home fit to form thier moral life and discipline"
How things have changed since then and how many of would have passed the Matrons "Monthly Sheet of Personal Character and Acquirements of each Nurse"???
sue

[wilfb]

Hi Sue,

Drawn by your super post, and having a deep personal interest in the history of nurse training in the UK (plus personal memories of more than one Matron's Office!) I thought of the 1941 Royal East Sussex Hospital 'Nurses Log Book' I was lucky enough to win on ebay a few months ago.

A complete schedule of a nurses' training - experience of aspects of care gained on the wards and in the theatre; levels of proficiency in theoretical and practical aspects; the signature of the nurse herself; the signatures of the various ward sisters and teaching staff as she passed through training; her own signature and, perhaps very significantly - the signature of the hospitals Matron.

The latter attained at a monthly visit to that lady to discuss the students' progress.

I still remember vividly some of my own visits to more than one Matron, and the wait outside the office for one's summons inside....  It seems impossible to describe the personal feelings surrounding these events which happened while becoming a nurse - almost the whole spectrum of possible feelings - all of which had to be supressed whilst undergoing those regular, possibly make or break judgements to which we were all subject.

I will try to add the log book to the main site over the next few weeks.

W.

[eric]

Was looking over my Mental Health badges and came across this advert which was printed in "The Journal of Mental Science", October 1894 about nursing badge;
               

Badge for the Holders of Certificates

Dr Spence has issued the finding to the Medical Superintendents of Asylums :

The Council having approved of a badge, to be woren by the holders of the Certificate for Proficiency in Mental Nursing, I shall be happy, if you desire the certificated members of your staff to wear such a distinctive mark, to forward you any may require upon hearing from you.

The badge is in bronze, and can be had either with a brooch pin or with a ring suspender; should you order any kindly say which you perfer.

The cost will for the present be 9s per dozen.

The Council, in approving of the badge, expressed a strong opinion that it should not be a gift to the Nurse or Attendant, but should remain the property of the Asylum, and be returned with the keys, etc, at the termination of the engagement,
Yours truly
J. Beveridge Spence, Register"

Mental Health Nurses first received lectures from 1843-44 by Sir Alexander Morison at the Surrey Asylum. In setting up the MPA in 1889 they considered proposals for the granting of a nursing qualification and the keeping of a register; This was adopted the finding year and the Association's examinations were in operation by 1891. This scheme was the first to offer a uniform national qualification as opposed to certificates issued by individual hospitals.

The first badge is bronze, based on a cross pattern. The words "FOR PROFICIENCY IN MENTAL NURSING" appear on the arms of the cross. On a central disc are the words "MEDICOPSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION" surrounding a representation of Psyche seated; her butterfly wings clearly shown.

In 1926 the Association received its Charter, the authority to use the prefix "ROYAL" to the lettering and a Grant of Arms. The badge, though retaining its overall shape was altered. The words "ROYAL" was added to the name running around the central disc and the central figure of Psyche was replaced by the shield of the new coat of Arms. This had a caduceus on a shield with a border carrying four butterflies. Beneath the shield was the motto "LET WISDOM GUIDE". The nursing Madel as it was now termed was illustrated with a plain ribbon, but there was no indication of the colour of the ribbon.

In 1928 a new R.P.M.A. badge was introduced. At first it was offered as an alternative to the older one (nurses could ask for either, but as new one was so much more to modern taste the heavy bronze cross soon became obsolete). The new badge was in silver, enamelled in red and white. The basic cross was retained, enamelled red but the central disc and coat of arms disappeared and the spaces between the arms of the cross infilled in white enamelling. The circle of lettering containing the title of the Association was now silver and the lettering abbreviated to "ROYAL MEDICO-PSYCH ASSOCN CERTD. NURSE".

finding the recommendations of the Athlone Committee on Nursing, the R.P.M.A. examinations were phased out between 1948 - 1951. All existing RPMA qualified nurses were then admitted to the GNC Register and thereafter the GNC examinations became only portal of entry.

The GNC had had badges for both general trained (SRN) and mental nurses (RMN) for a long time.

Final note:- Particular hospitals also issued badges and certificates during era of the Association examinations and these sometimes were engraved with inscription "Presented ... for gaining the Certificate of the M.P.A.". These were quite unauthorised but combined local and national pride.

[backman]

 Thanks for that Eric,

I have a couple of these locally issued RMPA medals and have seen several different examples particularly from Wales,Derby and the Midlands.Does any one know how common these were for Scotland and Ireland?

[nursesue]

another great quote from British Hospitals " The nurses were untrained and frequently illiterate.
" Wanted", read an advertisement many years later, " a nurse who can read or write, or at least read writing". Beyond keeping the wards clean as far as might be, and the beds tidy, attending to the wants of the patients, serving meals and maintaining order, her duties consisted chiefly of giving out medicines, making poultices or applying leaches"
Food for thought.... we are still battling to keep our hospitals clean ( MRSA C Diff etc etc..), leaches are making a comeback, drug rounds still exist  & many tabloid reports of starving patients and degree trained nurses being "too posh to wash" Nowadays we don't have to prove our literacy but we do  have to be computer literate. We are in the process of being a "paperlight" GP Practice and computers are playing a major part in our working day.
Have things changed for the better? or is it same story different cover??
However the book links with Medical/Doctor training and it seems that their training was no better.
Your thoughts appreciated
sue xx

[backman]

 Thanks Sue,
I see that the BBC are starting a new series of Casualty 1907 this Sunday.Based around the London Hospital but filmed in the old Liverpool Royal Infirmary,it may be worth a look as the original episodes were relatively accurate(for a tv drama)

[nursesue]

please don't get me started on hospital dramas!! casualty was great in the early days of charlie,duffy and megan but has so gone off the boil. I find some of the plots unbelievable. Holby is heading in the same way. I  loved the Royal but found the Modern Royal as very poor second. Bring back Wendy Craig and all the others such a great show - don't you just love all the starched aprons and hats. As a GP practice nurse how unbelievable is Doctors on a BBC lunchtime!!! None of my GPs are like that. its 10 minutes per patient not half hour making cups of tea and house calls on the off chance.
going back in time Angels was good - very representational of nursing in the 70/80s.  Does anyone remember General Hospital - set ( if i remember rightly) in the fictional Midland General. As for No Angels - brilliant and funny.
However ER is fantastic and still as gritty as ever - even without  a certain George Clooney
Now I've vented my spleen what does everyone else think??
sue

[AnthonyP]

Sue,

     Interesting post. I can recall 'General Hospital' quite well. Mr Parker -Brown
and I think Sr Washington. She was amazing working in every specialism
in the hospital! Oh and Dr Byewaters.
I used to watch ' Angels'-quite good but agree with you- todays  hospital soaps
load of old rubbish.
One of the producers of Casualty spent  the day with me when I worked at the Leeds Infirmary. Prefer the old dramas. Trained in the early 70s so I can remember Matrons and all the stiff starched uniforms. Very happy memories.

Kind regards

Tony

[backman]

 I agree that whilst some nurses are still hooked on Casualty it doesn't do it for me any more.I remember Angels well,starting my training the same week that the series began on tv in 1975.I recently picked up an original paperback of the series which describes St Angelas Hospital overlooking Battersea Park as having 24 wards of varying size and over 700 beds.I wonder if they ever produced any mock ups of their hospital badge?
I grew up watching episodes of Emergency ward 10 which my mother loved as she was nursing in the 1960s.

The Casualty 1907 is worth watching for some aspects such as the use of Finsen Ray treatment but I think much of the rest has been sexed up for modern audiences.

[nursesue]

didn't the guy who play Dr Byewaters become Adam Chance in that great Brummie soap Crossroads???
I thought No Angels was wonderfully wicked ( and so true in some cases!!).
Can remember going to see the film One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest just before we were due to start our 8 week psych secondment and being really worried. Pete I seem  to remember that they had a St Angela's badge in angels - does anyone have a photo? Casualty 1907 is really good
ah happy days and memories
sue

[nursesue]

oh my gosh what a small world. I am not wishing to advertise but take a look at ebay number 260228045529. It was the same guy and the photo on the book cover is him Dr Byewaters no less....
no I am not planning to bid on it as I've got to try and read a COPD book for eaxm revisions.....helllllllllllp exams are only 3 weeks away.Time to stop surfing and revise...............
sue  ;D