A deputation from the Workhouse Visiting Society had an interview
with the President of the Poor-Law Board (Mr. Villiers) this week, to represent the importance of thorough inspection of workhouse hospitals by competent medical men. They were in- troduced somewhat cautiously by the Earl of Devon, who, declining
to commit himself to their views, still thought those views ought to be " ventilated,"—a horrid piece of slang, which, always suggests making holes in them for the wind to blow through. Dr. Stallard said that, as compared with other hospitals, the medical staff of the workhouse hospitals is insufficient and underpaid ; that the clubbing of advice and medicine in one item in remunerating the medical advisers, is not calculated to produce the best of either; that the medical officers being uninspected, there is no guarantee for their proper fulfilment of duty ; that workhouse hospitals are ill-built and ill-ventilated, and that the pauper nurses are most insufficient. Dr. Goodfellow pointed out that the hospitals for criminals and lunatics were far better attended to, because the qualifications for the office of Union surgeon were lower than for the asylum or the gaol, and the salaries worse. Mr. Villiers agreed as to the propriety of at least occasional inspection by physicians of eminence, and hoped to bring in a Bill for this purpose, so that we trust poor Richard Gibson has not been murdered in vain.
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