New touching stories offering a glimpse into the traumatic lives of
poor, chronically sick children during Victorian and Edwardian times
have been revealed thanks to a project undertaken by Kingston University
and Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust (GOSH). Around
10,000 records, detailing the admissions of children who went to the
hospital’s Cromwell House convalescent home in North London, have been
published on the Small and Special website – an online educational tool.
These stories join more than 84,000 records of young patients who
attended GOSH which have proved a popular resource for medical
historians, demographers and people compiling family histories since the
website went live last year.
“The new records make it possible to
piece together the lives of some of the children, not only during their
time at GOSH, but afterwards when they went on to recover at Cromwell
House,” Dr Sue Hawkins, research project manager, explained. “Life for
some of these desperately sick children involved being passed from
pillar to post. With so few hospitals willing to treat children, and
their home circumstances not ideal for recovery, GOSH and Cromwell House
were lifelines.” Many children were from extremely poor families, and
while in hospital and at the convalescent home they received good food,
warmth, education and the best medical care available, she explained.
The
site allows visitors to step back in time, tracing the paths of
youngsters like six-year-old Sarah Coulson who was admitted on 16 August
1875 suffering terrible burns. She made the long, difficult journey to
GOSH from her home in Derby. After her treatment she moved to Cromwell
House but eight months later suffered a relapse and had to return to the
hospital. A year later records show Sarah was back in Cromwell House
and her burns had improved. She was finally allowed to go home after her
mother pleaded with doctors for her return and in the 1891 census Sarah
is listed as working as a waitress.
“Often, like Sarah, children
were many miles from friends and family, and some spent months or even
years moving between the hospital and convalescent homes in London,
Margate, Brighton, Torquay, Eastbourne and Rhyl among others,” Dr
Hawkins said. “The records give a real glimpse into the hospital
process, the way it was embraced by the public and the personal journeys
made by patients.” Cromwell House was paid for by donations and
captured the hearts of the public. Local visitors brought flowers and
fruit from their gardens, and a barrel organ, complete with dancing
monkey, played outside the house in the summer. Wealthy lady supporters
of Highgate even taught the patients how to read and write.
Compiled
by academics and volunteers from Kingston University’s Centre for Local
History Studies, the Small and Special website marks the first time
hospital records of such historic significance have been digitised, and
the information will be a vital link for historians and those compiling
family histories. It includes a database of admissions to the main
hospital from 1852-1914, including the children’s names, addresses,
ages, symptoms and outcome, plus images of handwritten patient records
and photographs and articles about the hospital. Cromwell House
admissions are recorded from its opening in 1869 until 1904. Funded by
Kingston University, the Wellcome Trust, the Nuffield Foundation and the
Friends of Great Ormond Street Hospital, the database on www.smallandspecial.org is free of charge and available to all.
Dr
Andrea Tanner, an archivist at GOSH, said the website and new records
brought to life the early workings of the hospital. Evidence gathered
shows 10 percent of the children visiting the hospital between 1852 and
1914 were suffering from an infectious disease, one in five of whom
died. “The information about children suffering from infectious diseases
is quite revealing,” she said. “The hospital was not supposed to accept
children with such severe conditions but the doctors obviously felt
unable to turn them away.”
Contact information:
Natalie Dye or Alison Barbuti in the Kingston University Press Office
020 8417 3623
Email: press@kingston.ac.uk
GOSH-ICH Press Office: 020 7239 3125
Email: Coxs@gosh.nhs.uk
For genuine and urgent out of hours call speak to switchboard on 020 7405 9200
