Medical negligence in Victorian Britain : the crisis of care under the English Poor Law, c1834-1900 / Kim Price.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Price, Kim (Historian), author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Physicians--Malpractice--Great Britain--History.

Physicians.

Poor laws--England--History.

Poor laws.

Poor--Medical care--Great Britain--History.

Poor.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (249 p.)

Place of Publication:

New York : Bloomsbury Academic An imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2015.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

"Medical Negligence in Victorian Britain is the first detailed exploration of the hundreds of charges of neglect against doctors who were contracted to the 'new' poor law after the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834. The author moves beyond the hyperbole of Victorian public 'scandal' to use medical negligence as a prism through which to view hidden aspects of poor law doctors and their patients. This provides a uniquely grounded perspective, from the day-to-day experience of medical practice - for both doctor and patient - to the context of the medico-political, socio-legal and cultural processes that underpinned the social construction of negligence at this time. The result is a clearly enunciated description of what negligence meant to the Victorians and how they sought to define and deal with negligent care, moving the topic from the sidelines of English welfare history to the centre-stage role it played in Victorian society. Thematically and chronologically arranged in two parts, the book uses extensive new archival material with a particular focus on the official inquiries into neglect conducted by poor law inspectors. It offers a fresh perspective on the poor laws that has repercussions for wider histories of welfare, medicine and legal medicine."--Bloomsbury Publishing.

Contents:

Figures

Acknowledgments

1. Introduction: The Nuances of Neglect under the New Poor Law

Part 1

2. Victorian 'State Doctors': Medical Officers of the Poor Law

3. Negligence: The 'Psychological Moment'

4. Framing and Mapping Negligence under the Poor Law

Part 2

5. A Latent Failure: The Crusade against Outdoor Relief

6. Survival of the Fittest: Indoor Neglect

7. A Catch-22: Outdoor Neglect

8. Conclusion: Seen but not heard? The Patient's voice

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781350002029

135000202X

9781474210812

1474210813

9781441140593

144114059X

OCLC:

900606183