Spotlight On… (8): The conservation treatment of case notes from Deaconess Hospital

The Deaconess Hospital (148 Pleasance, Edinburgh) opened in 1894, primarily to provide training for missionary Deaconesses. It also provided a much needed medical service to the local community. The hospital closed in 1985 and the building was the headquarters of NHS Lothian until 2010.

LHSA holds the general case notes for the Deaconess Hospital for the period 1894-1954. For 1894-1911, these take the form of 25 bound volumes. During a survey of all bound volumes in the LHSA collection, these were identified as a treatment priority due to their poor condition. Surface dirt, tearing to the textblock, leather deterioration of the cases and loss of spine and/or boards were common. In isolated cases, previous water damage was also evident. This level of degradation made accessing the information in the case notes difficult without causing further damage.

Example of a General Case Notes volume before and after conservation (LHB12/42/4).

The volumes were sympathetically repaired, retaining all aspects of the original. Where boards or spines had been lost, these were replaced with similar materials. This is time consuming, but ultimately effective work so that these important records can be used by future generations.