| Middlesbrough’s first floating hospital
Then in 1871 Middlesbrough was an unhealthy place in which to live. Poorly constructed houses and primitive sanitation led to outbreaks of several killer diseases.
The worst of these was smallpox, which raised its head as early as 1871 and plans were drawn up for a Hospital for Infectious Diseases - later to be known as the Fever Hospital - in West Lane Middlesbrough at a cost of £500.
But by May of that year there was an explosion of the disease and by June 36 people had died including 19 children. The Medical Officer Dr J. Dickinson reported at least 50 cases in Middlesbrough and 30 in North Ormesby.In the district as a whole the figure exceeded 500.
In an effort to cope with this outbreak, temporary huts were erected in the grounds of the Fever Hospital which provided two large wards and two convalescent areas.
By 1893 infectious diseases were rampant in the town with 762 reported cases of smallpox, scarlet fever and enteric fever. The death rate at this time was almost 4 per cent of the town’s population. Two years later a further outbreak of smallpox struck the area with 804 reported cases and the over- stretched hospitals couldn’t cope..
Ald S.A. Sadler, Chairman of the Tees Port Sanitary Authority hit on the idea of having a floating hospital on the River Tees. Head Wrightson was given the order to build a 30 bed vessel at a cost of £800, which was named “Osprey” at the launching ceremony held at the 5th Buoy Lighthouse. It served its purpose well until it was broken up in 1928.
To help pay for the epidemic, a general rate rise was imposed from 2/11d to 3/8d in the pound.
This article originally appeared in the Easter 2001 issue of Now
& Then Magazine
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