Some hand written ledgers from the archive remind us how times have changed. The hospital accounts for 1917 show us that more was spent on milk than on drugs, disinfectant and dressings. In the same year, 80% of patients were discharged from the Sanatorium having shown signs of recovery from TB. A wonderful record of healthcare history to share.
A selection of Telegram’s from the Palace from 1947
The first telegram was received in 1947 following the announcement of Princess Elizabeth’s engagement to Prince Philip.
The last telegram was sent in 1975 by the Queen Mother as Benenden’s Patron, wishing the organisation luck for its annual conference.
Another important document in our archive is a handwritten letter from Princess Helena in 1910. Princess Helena was the fifth child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and the letter is written following the death of her brother King Edward VII. Note the black border around the letter.
In 1917 Benenden Sanatorium admitted 255 patients suffering from TB. This year, we expect to care for 47,000 patients through our outpatient services and nearly 8,500 patients admitted for a surgical procedure.
The images below show our reception area in 1917, with an artist impression of the new reception due to open later this year.
In 1917, Miss Ferguson was Matron and Mr Robertson was Medical Superintendent. Today, we have three Matrons, Ali, Wendy and Dee and Dr John Giles is Medical Director.
Where most Sanatoria were left derelict by the 1970s, with some converted into homes, Benenden continues to care for members and other patients who choose us.
Benenden remembers our 110 year history of caring today on World TB Day. Built as a TB Sanatorium 1907, the hospital has evolved as treatments for this terrible condition have changed. Benenden’s archive has a huge collection of photos showing patients undertaking therapeutic work and exercise, digging on the farm and walking through the estate. Today, our new hospital still sits in this beautiful landscape offering very modern diagnostic tests and surgical treatments.
The Medical Guide 1824
Our old medical book, that journeyed from a hospital in the Crimea to Benenden Hospital, describes the immediate treatment following drowning, strangulation or suffocation. This critical period, where vital signs are suspended, was called the state of suspended animation.
Florence Nightingale may well have practiced the treatments and techniques detailed in this medical book. First instructions are to collect the following items whilst conveying the patient to the nearest house:
The patient can be reclined slightly but the head must not be lower than the shoulders in case the blood rushes to the head and compresses the brain.
Step One – Restore body heat and circulation by rubbing the warm flannels over the body causing friction.
Step Two – Force air from the bellows through one nostril whilst an assistant gently presses down the ribs. Make sure the mouth is closed and alternate the inflation and compression to replicate respiration whilst continuing to apply friction to the body.
Step Three – Pass fluid into the stomach at once, via a tube. The fluid should contain a teaspoon of sal volatile (smelling salts) and a tablespoon of warm brandy. The book suggests that heat was most likely to stimulate vital powers into actions. Water heated to about 100 degrees (Fahrenheit) may be injected into the stomach or rectum.
Step Four – The images below show the galvanic equipment in use. The patient is seated in a suspension chair, conducting wires are attached to the fluid filled stomach tube and the chest wall. Moistened linen is attached to the ends and a current is passed through.
I wonder how many patients were successfully resuscitated?
110 years of Benenden Hospital in aerial photos
As we celebrate our anniversary on 4 March and in the year we complete our major site development, here’s a look at how the Hospital has changed through a selection of aerial photos.
In the first photograph (above) you can see the original Garland Wing, with the new additions of The Post Office Pavilion in 1910 (on the left) and Cadogan in 1912 (on the right). The opening of the new Lister Wing (below) in 1937, provided much needed accommodation for ladies.
There was little development during the war years but The Victory Appeal during the 1950s raised sufficient funds for major building projects. By 1961, we can see Peek Nurses Home, Pathology, JR Williams Wing, Joy Carey, Sellors Ward, X-Ray, The Post Office, Gordon Lauste Building, Swimming Pool and Garland had been modernised.
In 1970 more accommodation was built for staff including Glamis House and Queens Wing was added in 1981 providing new wards and a theatre suite.
Princess and York Wards were opened in 1993 and these can be seen as additions to the estate in the photograph below.
By 2000, The Jubilee Clinic replaced the JR Williams Wing.
Coming right up-to-date, this new aerial view shows the new extensions to our hospital. Bensan Ward opened in 2016 and the new outpatient department will be opening later this year.
Yesterday I found this amazing 200 year old medical book in the archive and haven’t stopped reading it. Published in 1824 The Medical Guide provides the most interesting insight into diseases and their treatments during a very challenging time in British History.
The book is well travelled, with a beautiful hand written prayer by Thomas Kent, Padbury, Buckinghamshire 1850.
The book then passes to William Kent, Ward Master, Left Wing Hospital, Crimea in 1856. For those that know their history, this suggest that the book was owned by someone working in the Crimea at the end of the Crimean war. More amazingly, that means that this book might have been in the same hospital at the same time as Florence Nightingale! It certainly gives insight into Florence’s medical world.
It’s no surprise to see descriptions of diseases such as Dysentery, Cholera and Consumption, although the treatments are thankfully long forgotten. For Dysentery, the patient is required to drink a mixture or rhubarb powder and cinnamon?
What is a surprise, are the descriptions of diseases such as Diabetes and Epilepsy, although with the knowledge of today it is clear that the causes of these conditions were not fully understood.
The most interesting part of the book, are explanations of some thankfully long forgotten conditions such as:
Next week, read about how to find a good wet nurse and the state of suspended animation.
Another set of photographs of our staff from the past.
Please share the memories!
As Benenden Hospital enters this very special anniversary year, this post reflects on the days leading up-to the opening of our great hospital 110 years ago.
What was happening in the world in 1907?
1. King Edward VII was monarch following the death of Queen Victoria in 1901. Edward’s sister Princess Helena laid the Hospital’s foundation stone on 14 July 1906
2. Henry Campbell-Bannerman (Liberal) was Prime Minister of the U.K.
3. Theodore Roosevelt was President of America. On 1 January 1907, Roosevelt shakes a record 8,513 hands in one day
4. Rudyard Kipling was the 1907 winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature
5. Maria Montessori opens her first school in Rome on 6 January 1907
6. An earthquake hit Jamaica on 14 January 1907, killing more than 1,000 people
Preparing for patients
Closer to home, the hospital was preparing for its first patients. In early 1907, the Organising Committee were busy hiring staff and purchasing everything needed to Care for TB patients.
1. Miss Musson was appointed Matron
2. Dr Crossley was the first Medical Officer
3. A cook was appointed with a salary of £26 per year and a Housemaid with a salary of £20 per year. The staff were required to pay to do their washing and for Beer!
4. In January 1907, Mr Wetherdon of the Castleton’s Oak agreed to convey patients to and from the Sanatorium at a cost of 3/6 per head
5. School beds were purchased from Harrods at a cost of £85.0.0 and 200 blankets and sheets at a cost of £85.3.4
A collection of images of the laundry and linen room.
Let me know if you know the names of the staff in the photographs.
A collection of photographs of colleagues who once worked with us at Benenden. Who do you remember?
How young everyone looks and check out the clothes!
Share this with friends and colleagues to enjoy the memories!
Look out for more blasts from the past!
Let’s play a game of guess who.
Here are some photographs of current Benenden staff taken some years ago. Do you recognise them? Share this with staff and friends and have some fun.
Watch out, it might be you next time!
Benenden Heritage Project - Remembering the Past - Securing the Future 