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Little lives-reading between the lines: insights from the Northampton Infirmary Eighteenth Century Child Admission
Madeleine Mant1, Judy Chau2, Bryce Hull1
1Department of Anthropology, https://ror.org/03dbr7087University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON, Canada.
Insights
This study details eighteenth-century child hospital admissions in Northampton, revealing common childhood diseases and patient demographics. Most child patients recovered, offering insights into historical child health journeys.
Area of Science:
- Medical History
- Pediatric Health
- Social History
Background:
- Interest in eighteenth-century child healthcare is growing.
- Voluntary hospitals played a role in treating children.
- Limited data exists on children's health experiences in these institutions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce the Northampton Infirmary Eighteenth Century Child Admission Database.
- To analyze the health of children admitted to the Northampton Infirmary (1744-1804).
- To understand eighteenth-century child health journeys through institutional records.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Northampton Infirmary admission records (1744-1804).
- Analyzed inpatient and outpatient data, including age, gender, and diagnoses.
- Examined patient outcomes and the role of recommenders.
Main Results:
- Common childhood ailments included surgical infections, infectious diseases, and skin conditions.
- Child patients were predominantly male (56%).
- Approximately 75% of child patients were discharged as 'cured'.
Conclusions:
- The database provides a valuable resource for studying historical child health.
- Analysis reveals patterns in childhood diseases and treatment outcomes.
- The study offers insights into the intersection of children, families, and medical institutions in the 18th century.
Abstract:
The presence of children in eighteenth-century English voluntary hospitals is an area of increasing interest and attention. The Northampton Infirmary admission records detail inpatient and outpatient ages from 1744 to 1804, allowing for longitudinal investigations of children in the institution. The most common distempers affecting children were surgical infections, infectious diseases, and skin diseases; fifty-six per cent of the child patients were male and 43.3 per cent were female. Nearly seventy-five per cent of children left the hospital 'cured'. This article outlines the Northampton Infirmary Eighteenth Century Child Admission Database, and demonstrates how the patterning of distempers within and among children provides insight into the health journeys of eighteenth-century children through the lens of their bodies, their parents, and their institutional recommenders.
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