Victorian Hospitals

Wards in Victorian hospitals

During the Victorian Era, hospitals were claimed to be "the house of death" because people who would walk in could smell rotting flesh and vomit and can hear people screaming as doctors would be working on them without an anesthesia. Before 1850's, there was a high chance in spreading communicable disease within the hospital. It was believed that the gross smell from the air caused infection. But, then it wasn't until the middle of the century that doctors and nurses thought spreading diseases was challenged blaming the spreading of the disease on germs. Hospitals were designed with small rooms because it was thought that smaller rooms would help prevent the spread of germs and diseases from people to people. Small rooms didnt do anything though, it made spreading germs faster and easier because these small wards would overflow. Surgeries would also be super painful since anesthesia was not available then and so they started to reduce surgeries because the success rate would be so low. There were many victorian hospitals that were made for patients. First, there was a victorian voluntary hospital that was started as an instautional charity for the poor community at no charge. Then, starting around 1850-1860's there were hospitals called specialist/cottage hospitals. Specialist hospitals were there to serve the need for caring people with certain medical conditions which were excluded by the voluntary hospitals. The cottage hospitals were built in rural parts of an are for communites to drive a small distance vs long distance to get to a hospital. Finally, during the victorian era, there were infectious disease hospitals where it would only carry patients that had infectious diseases. These hospitals were sometimes run under the local medical officer of health. In some instincaes at the infectious diseases hospital, charges to patients were no charge which would encourage patients to protect themsleves and not infect other people.

While watching the Middlemarch series, there was a scene in episode 3 where Dr. Lydgate and Mr. Crabstone went to a patients house to do surgery to take out a tumor in the abdomen which ended up to be a cramp according to Dr. Lydgate. Details spotted during this scene was that the place to do surgery was in a very small room with beds right next to eachother and neither Dr. Lydgate and Mr. Crabstone were not dressed to well. 

Works Cited

Victorian Hospitals - 1876 Victorian England Revisited, logicmgmt.com/1876/overview/medicine/hospitals.htm.

“Medical Act 1858.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 2 Oct. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_Act_1858.

“An Appointment at the House of Death: the Horror of the Early Victorian Hospital.” HistoryExtra, 26 June 2019, www.historyextra.com/period/victorian/an-appointment-at-the-house-of-dea....

NHS Choices, NHS, www.leicestershospitals.nhs.uk/easysiteweb/virtual-museum/Wards/index.html.

Married Women’s Property Act of 1870

The Married Women's Property Act of 1870 gave married women liimited separate protection to own property and the money they earned up to f200. While the law did not even begin to give women the equality they deserved, the Married Women's Property Act of 1870 laid the groundwork for women's future rights. 

Before 1870 married women had no claim to their personal or real property nor did they have the rights to the income they earned. The husband was in complete control and could do as he pleased with his wife's property and income. This however only concerned married women's property as the laws were different for single women. Single women could own their property and income by once a woman married, she lost the rights to her income and property. There were two exceptions to a married woman's ownership of her property and income. The first exception being the dowry provided by the bride's father or by the groom's father for support of the bride and her children. The other exception was that it was only available to the extremely wealthy women who were able to put their property in to a trust for herself and her children. This did not happend often due to the extreme costs involved to create a trust. 

Mrs. Garth would have gladly given her savings and anything necessary to help Alfed get his apprenticeship. During this time period it would not have mattered if Mrs. Garth had not wanted to give up her wages, savings, and anythign necessary to help her son, Alfred. Her husband, Caleb Garth, had every legal right to take what was his and society would expect nothing less. Mary Garth may not have been legally required to give her wages over to her father as she was a single woman. Mary being the sensible, considerate, family oriented woman she was, she gladly gave all of her savings to her father to help.

It is clear George Eliot wrote Middlemarch with women's rights on her mind. Eliot's imagination brings fictional character to life while blending real historical events with fiction to portray life in Middlemarch.

"Married Women's Property Act 1870." Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 14 July 2020, en. wikipedia.org/wiki/Married_Women's Property_Act_1870.

"History:  British History Timeline." BBC, BBC

Doctors and there tools

In Middlemarch, Lydgate is the doctor and I have fallen very interested in what the doctors of that time used for there surgeries and other operations day-to-day. How safe was it and what practices did they use that just didn't help or work? In this artical a lot of the information it gives you is very intresting and tells you a lot about the doctors in that time. 

19th-century doctors in the U.S.

https://melnickmedicalmuseum.com/2009/03/11/19th-century-doctors-in-the-us/

Married Women's Property Act 1882

The Married Women's Property Act 1882 was a significant piece of legislation for women in 19th century England. Previous to this act, marriage was seen as the man and woman becoming one. As this was a time where men were seen as dominant, the property of a woman was automatically transferred to her husband after marriage. This held true for all forms of property: wealth, land, even legal documents. EVERYTHING went to the husband. However, women were able to inherit "necessary" property for personal use, such as clothing or jewelry. This is what is known as feme covert, meaning a woman's legal identity was annihilated when she married. Thankfully, with the Married Women's Property Act 1882, the entirety of marriage was flipped upside down. Courts were forced to see a marriage as a man and a woman, not just a man. This gave women in this time period some of the freedoms men had. Women were now able to purchase and sell, not just inherit, their own property. The legal identity of women returned, and they gained the right to sue and be sued. Women were even allowed to keep their own surnames. All of these privileges are what is known as feme sole, but with a twist. Typically, feme sole refers to unmarried women who had the rights that married women now aquired. 

Can it be? Is this a reality? Women of a married status have the ability now to keep their privileges? What a blessing. For so long, the pressures of marriage have been for naught except for chasing me away from such a vile fate. Why shall I allow a man to absorb what is rightfully mine? Why should I submit myself completely to a man when I am able to submit myself to my work? That is what I never understood about Dorothea. To submit herself to an cruel, cranky old man simply because of his knowledge? And what became of Dorothea? She went through emotional and spiritual pain that would've been avoided had she stayed true to her cottages! Life has taken a different path for us modern women, gratefully. Now that I am able to retain my identity, not just legally but mentally, perhaps I shall marry a man of great position. It wouldn't be all too bad to use him as a means for increasing my reputation throughout England. Secondary income wouldn't be a negative addition to my life, neither. And a family. I wonder if these are thoughts Dorothea kept, but we never saw this deep, emotional side of her. Am I becoming a Dorothea?

“Married Women's Property Act 1882.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 14 July 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Married_Women's_Property_Act_1882.

Representation of the people act 1918

Representation of the people act of 1918

While reading Middlemarch there are many references made to the election so I was curious what age you were able to vote and who exactly could vote. With the representation of the people act of 1918 it enabled any male over the age of 21 and only females that were over the age of 30 and owned land that was worth at least 5 pounds at the time. with this act being validated men no longer needed any property requirements to vote so now all men of lesser wealth were able to participate in the voting process which was an extremely positive addition to parliament. Not all women could vote with this act but at the time it was a step in the right direction that at least some women would be able to let their voices be heard and participate in the general election. This bill was a huge step in the direction for Parliament and was widely appreciated.