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| The Leeds General Infirmary |
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On 20th May 1767 a meeting was held in the
New Inn public house in Briggate. About sixteen gentlemen, including
the Mayor, the Vicar of Leeds and various doctors attended the
meeting. It was unanimously agreed that 'a Parochial Infirmary
in this place (Leeds) will be of great Utility.' A subsequent meeting, on June 19th, resolved 'that the infirmary intended to be erected be declared a General One', not to be limited to patients from the parish of Leeds, and 'that the said infirmary be styled, The General Infirmary of Leeds.' |
| A further meeting the following month, July 25th, heard that no suitable site could be found to erect the proposed building. The group agreed that they should rent Mr Andrew Wilson's house in Kirkgate. The house was then equipped with furniture, bedding, drugs and all manner of items for medical purposes. |
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The very first Leeds General Infirmary
opened on October 2nd, 1767. Certain classes of patients were inadmissable; no woman big with child, no child under six years, no person disordered in the senses, suspected to have small-pox, VD, the Itch (scabies), other infectious distempers, those who were apprehended to be in a dying condition or incurable. If any of these classes were inadvertently admitted, not to be suffered to continue. |
| This undertaking was obviously going to have many more applicants than it could afford to handle. It wasn't long before the infirmary was looking to expand. |
| In January 1768 Mr Richard Wilson, the Recorder for Leeds, agreed to lease 'a parcel of ground at the northwest end of the Mixt Cloth Hall. |
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The cloth hall was at that time situated where
the old Post Office is at the present time, the northwest side
of City Square. The Square, nor the Post Office, did not exist
at this time. The site was considered to be in the countryside
and the land south of the site stretched down to the river with
no structure to obstruct the view. The foundation stone for the second infirmary was laid on 10th October that same year. This infirmary was just as successful as the previous one. In November 1770 a new bake-house, wash-house and brew-house are added. Ale was a staple part of the diet not only for patients, children and adults, but also for the staff. |
| Things went well for a few years, until 1859 that is. The board of the Leeds General Infirmary agrees that the infirmary is now too small for use and needs extending or rebuilding. The lay members are in favour of selling the large garden, which extended to Wellington Street, and enlarging the building in Infirmary Street. The medical faculty is in favour of rebuilding. In 1862, after much discussion, a site on Great George Street is purchased. |
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On 29th March 1864 James Kitson Esq lays the foundation stone for the third Leeds general Infirmary. Four years later, in 1868, the infirmary is completed. Designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott the central section of the building features a railway station style roof. Sir George also designed St Pancras Railway Station in London. Advice was taken from Miss Florence Nightingale as to the layout of the wards.
Finally, on 22nd May 1869, the infirmary opened as a medical facility. The first patient was admitted, Walter Riding with a fractured femur. |
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The practice of giving patients, and staff, quantities of ale still continued. In 1873 it was noted that the hospital bought three barrels of mild ale, at 16 pennies a barrel, from Messrs Joshua Tetley & Son. The hospital bought what ale it needed from the local brewers on a rotation system. In January 1875 the hospital agreed to buy all its ale from Tetleys, the brew-house was turned into a drying room. On 31st December 1880, from the minutes
of the weekly board meeting; |
| In 1948, following the establishment of the National Health Service, the Leeds General Infirmary passed into state ownership and into the control of the United Leeds Hospitals. |
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