A GLIMPSE OF KINGSTON WORKHOUSE INFIRMARY IN 1911

David A. Kennedy, PhD

25 June, 2020

ABSTRACT

The enumerator of the 1911 Census of Kingston Union Workhouse Infirmary was the matron, Miss Annie Smith.  Her record and other sources provided  information on the institution’s 465 in-patients, 53 resident nurses, two medical officers and 13 resident domestic servants. The Census data indicated the range of afflictions that prevailed within the community, including the workhouse, that was served by the infirmary. The evidence suggested that in 1911 the infirmary consisted of at least three buildings, constructed at different times, and there were separate wards or rooms for patients with contagious diseases, patients with learning difficulties and patients with mental illness.  Maternity patients were accommodated in the workhouse. The nursing and medical standards of the infirmary appeared to be high.

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