In this week's blog, we're exploring three distinct records reflecting on disability livelihood and employment to say goodbye to this series.
In 1955, Tyne Lodge, the first outpatient unit at Astley Ainslie Hospital, opened. New inpatient facilities included a model coal face provided by the National Coal Board to help with the rehabilitation of miners, and a model of the back of a bus so people could practice getting on and off.
The Tyne Lodge General Register of Patients records individual patients' attendances at the Rehabilitation Unit. Given the records cover the 1955-1973 period, they are classed as confidential and the images on this blog post have been redacted due to General Data Protection Regulation. Each line references the medical diagnosis of individual patients, while their disposal shows the patient's employment status after being discharged. It is worth highlighting two very different diagnoses that give a good sense of the variety of conditions treated at the Tyne Lodge Outpatient Unit.
DIAGNOSIS DISPOSAL
Amputation rb. Leg mid thigh. Light work. Second admission. Had a prior 20
attendances between [dates redacted due
to GDPR]
Hemipligia To
light job with some employers.
Hemiplegia is a very recurrent diagnosis in this volume. In
its more severe form, it refers to the complete paralysis of one entire side of
the body. It can result from a range of medical causes such as brain damage,
trauma (injuries received through a fall, car accident, etc.), stroke, cerebral
palsy, brain tumour, or diseases of the nervous system or brain. While the
sample page above may suggest the unit focused on physical disability solely, mental health conditions are also reflected in its pages. The
following image shows an instance where psychoneurosis was mentioned as a
patient’s diagnosis. The record states that the ‘treatment has failed from a
physical point of view but she is now attending Dr Macrae, psychiatrist,
regularly for treatment’.
The collection of National Coal Board Medical Cards (GD46) is
a valuable source that provides insight into the numerous cases in which miners got injured or became physically disabled between the
1940s and 1980s. Amongst the most recurrent injuries and disabilities, there are mentions of slipped discs, punctured thumbs and big
toes, strained backs and knees, bruises on feet/hands/arms, pustules on the
knees, cut forearms/fingers, abrasion to fingers/legs/shoulder blade, jerked
back/lumbar area, chest pains, and burst fingers. The medical card below shows the medical history of a patient who started to work as a
miner at the age of 16 during the 1950s. They were diagnosed with 60+ injuries
over a span of 20 years. Their medical history reflects the challenges
associated with carrying out their work for decades in order to sustain
themselves and provide for their family.
The Dingleton Hospital magazine, ‘Outlook’, also reflects on issues around disability employment. This publication is an example of collaborative efforts between patients and staff that was described as ‘a worthwhile therapeutic venture’ by one of its readers. Its first issue was published in September 1963 and LHSA holds copies spanning the period from its inception until 1986. The first editorial column set the hopes and objectives for the magazine in the context of several changes taking place in the hospital at the time, both physical and in the approach to patient care. The editor wrote that, ‘It is with the idea of enlarging this brighter, and pleasanter community aspect of Dingleton that this magazine has been designed….We do not intend to fill this magazine with stuffy and high-brow technicalities, or to bore the readers with long unlimited surveys on medical history, but to fill its pages with good honest humour and humanity.’
The December 1963 issue showcases the patient rehabilitation service delivered by the hospital. The author discusses the benefits of the professional scheme the hospital ran in partnership with Currie & Mills Ltd. Patients joining the scheme were exposed to a new environment and ideas while readjusting to a regular working pattern. The article points out that patients settled down quickly into the working routine with the scheme showing positive results for all parties involved.
Likewise, the August 1969 issue reminisces the challenges faced by WW2 soldiers through William Whitehead’s account. A war veteran at the time of publication, he discusses his partial deafness as a result of being shocked by an explosion in Algeria. Interestingly, Mr Whitehead continued to serve the army in the years to come by assisting with light duties in the cookhouse across different countries such as Italy and Austria.
