ON THE LOCAL TAXATION OF TIIE CITY OF DUBLIN. 113 STATE OF ILL HEALTH OR ARE MOST LIABLE TO CONTRACT DISEASE; THEY ARE UNABLE TO REMAIN IN THEIR CELLS, AND THEY ARE CONFINED IN YARDS, IN WHICH DURING A GREAT PART OF THE YEAR, THE RAYS OF THE SUN NEVER ENTER; IT IS ONLY ON THE STATE SIDE THAT THE SUN SHINES; IN THE OTHER DEPARTMENTS THEY ARE DURING MANY MONTHS OF THE YEAR IN COLD DAMP' YARDS, WITH DEFICIENT CLOTHING, CONSTANTLY EXPOSED TO ALL THE CAUSES OF ILLNESS BY WHICH HUMAN NATURE CAN BE AFFECTED. CAN YOU INFORM THE COMMITTEE WHAT IS THE PER CENTAGE UPON THE NUMBER OF PRISONERS, THAT IS, THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF SICK ; HAVING STATED THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF PRISONERS IN THE DUBLIN PRISONS AS BEING ONE THOUSAND?— THE INSPECTOR HAVIN" RE- TURNED TO ME A NUMBER OF MY WEEKLY REPORTS, I HAVE THEM HERE FOR EXAMINATION° AND FROM THEM I TOOK THREE WINTER MONTHS AND THREE SUMMER MONTHS, TO STRIKE AN AVERAGE. IN WHAT YEAR?— IN THIS LAST YEAR; I TOOK THE MONTHS OF DECEMBER, JANUARY AND FEBRUARY LAST, AND JUNE, JULY AND AUGUST LAST; FROM THOSE RETURNS I CAN STATE THE NUMBER OF INTERN AND EXTERN PATIENTS. CAN YOU GIVE IN SUCH A STATEMENT TO THE COMMITTEE?— THE NUMBER OF INTERNS IN THE HOSPITAL OF NEWGATE IN THE THREE WINTER MONTHS WERE 167, AND 112 EXTERNS, THE AVERAGE OF INTERNS 14, AND OF EXTERNS 9 AND ONE- THIRD ; PUTTING OUT OF CONSIDE- RATION ENTIRELY ; AN IMMENSE NUMBER OF PRISONERS WHO RECEIVE MEDICINES, BUT NONE OF WHOM ARE ENTERED IN THOSE RETURNS, UNLESS ACTUALLY PRESCRIBED FOR IN THE BOOK, THERE BEING ALWAYS IN THE PRISON PILLS AND OTHER ARTICLES. [ The witness was directed to send in a return of the average number of sick in the different prisons.] CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHY SUCH A NUMBER OF SICK ARE RELIEVED AT MERCER'S HOSPITAL IN DUBLIN, AT SO SO CHEAP A RATE, COMPARED WITH NEWGATE AND OTHER PRISONS?— I THINK I CAN; MERCER'S HOSPITAL AND ALL THE HOSPITALS KEEP DISPENSARIES OPEN IN THE MORN- INGS FOR THE POOR; AND IN THEIR RETURNS OF THE NUMBER OF PATIENTS IN A YEAR, THEY ENTER EVERY PERSON APPLYING EACH MORNING, SO THAT IF THE SAME PERSON CAME TWENTY TIMES TWENTY DIFFERENT MORNINGS, HE APPEARS SO OFTEN AS A NEW PATIENT; AND I CAN STATE ON THE AUTHORITY OF SURGEONS THAT ATTEND THAT HOSPITAL, THAT A GREAT PROPORTION OF THOSE PATIENTS, ARE PERSONS THAT COME FOR, PERHAPS, SOME SLIGHT SURGICAL OPERATION, AND WHO RECEIVE NO MEDICINE WHATEVER. YOUR OBSERVATION APPLIES TO EXTERNAL PATIENTS ENTIRELY ?— IT DOES; WITH RESPECT TO THE INTERNAL PATIENTS, THERE IS AN APOTHECARY WHO MAKES UP THE MEDICINES; AND WITH RESPECT TO SURGICAL PATIENTS, THOSE WHO ARE ACQUAINTED WITH THE HOSPITALS KNOW THAT THEY DO NOT REQUIRE, NOR DO THEY RECEIVE THE SAME PROPORTION OF MEDICINES AS THE MEDICAL. DO YOUR OBSERVATIONS APPLY TO THE CORK- STREET FEVER HOSPITAL ?— CERTAINLY NOT. WOULD THE REASONS YOU HAVE GIVEN, ACCOUNT FOR THE DIFFERENCE THAT APPEARS BETWEEN THE EXPENSE OF THE RICHMOND BRIDEWELL AND NEWGATE, COMPARED WITH THE EXPENSE OF THE SICK IN MERCER'S HOSPITAL; FOR IT APPEARS THAT THE EXPENSE FOR THE SICK ACCORDING TO YOUR STATEMENT, AMOUNTED TO 917/. WHILST IN MERCER'S HOSPITAL, THE NUMBER OF INTERN PATIENTS IN 1820, WAS 516, AND THE EXTERNS 1,896; AND THAT THE WHOLE EXPENSE FOR MEDICINES FOR THAT HOSPITAL AMOUNTED TO 320 /. IN ONE YEAR; WILL THE REASONS YOU HAVE JUST GIVEN ACCOUNT FOR THAT ENORMOUS DIFFERENCE ?— IN THE FIRST PLACE, THE COMMITTEE WILL BE PLEASED TO DISTINGUISH WHAT IS ACTUALLY THE EXPENSE INCURRED FOR RICHMOND BRIDEWELL, AS THE QUESTION INCLUDES THE WHOLE MEDICAL AND SURGICAL EXPENSE AND NECESSARIES FOR THE SICK IN THE LAST YEAR. I DIRECTED THE APO- THECARY TO SUPPLY ME WITH AN EXACT COPY OF THE PRESENTMENT WHICH HE SENT IN AT THIS LAST EASTER TERM, AND IN THAT THE EXPENSE FOR RICHMOND BRIDEWELL FOR MEDICINES IS 42/. 195. 8 d. IN CALCULATING THE EXPENDITURE, EITHER AT MERCER'S HOSPITAL OR AT THE CORK- STREET FEVER HOSPITAL OR ELSEWHERE, YOU ARE TO ADD TO THE EXPENSE FOR MEDICINES, THE CHARGES FOR SUPPORTING AND PROVIDING THE APOTHECARY; AND UNLESS WE HAVE THE FACTS AS REGARDS THE PAYMENTS MADE TO THOSE OFFICERS, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO MAKE ANY ACCURATE COMPARISON. BUT THE 320/. WHICH HAS BEEN EXPENDED IN ONE year IN Mercer's HOSPITAL EM- BRACES BOTH MEDICINES AND SALARIES?— I WOULD SAY AGAIN, THAT THE COMPARISON SHOULD BE STRICTLY BETWEEN MEDICAL PATIENTS AND MEDICAL PATIENTS, FOR I HAVE STATED THAT A VAST PROPORTION OF THE NUMBER SO SET DOWN ARE SURGICAL PATIENTS, THAT PERHAPS DID NOT RECEIVE ANY MEDICINE AT ALL, OR IF THEY DID, IT IS ONLY A DOSE OF SALTS, OR SOME CHEAP MEDICINE OF THAT SORT. WITH RESPECT TO THOSE WHO DO RECEIVE MEDICINES, ANY PERSON WHO IS ACQUAINTED WITH THE MODE OF PROCEEDING AT THOSE HOSPITALS, WELL KNOWS THAT THE VALUE OF THE ARTICLE IS VERY SMALL INDEED. BUT THOSE OBSERVATIONS DO NOT APPLY TO THE CORK- STREET HOUSE OF RECOVERY, HOW CAN VOU ACCOUNT FOR THE GREAT DISPROPORTION BETWEEN THE EXPENSE OF THE CORK- STREET 3 ° R> R HOSPITAL Dr. William ILir'y. _ J 0 3 549- 3 C Is