Dr Herbert Francis PARKER [1055]

  General Notes:

Herbert Frances, born at Rowledge, January 10, 1875; educated at Mr Stedman's, Milford, Godalming. 1885-88; Foundation Scholar of Marlborough College, 1889-93; Exhibitioner at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, 1893-95; Scholar 1895-96; represented the University v. Oxford at Chess, 1896; 1st Class Natural Science Tripos, Part 1., 1896; Graduated, B.A., 1896; Scholarship at St Bartholomew's Hospital, 1896; took his M.R.C.S. and L.R.C.P. , also M.B. and B.C. (Cambridge), House Surgeon at St Bartholomew's Hospital, 1899.

Julius Jottings. No 2
April 1900.
Life and Work at St Bartholomew's Hospital
Mr Editor,
When lightheartedly, I undertook to write an article for Julius Jottings I did not realise the difficulty of the task before me.
At the risk however of appearing egotistical, I propose to give a short account of my present work and surroundings at St Barts, in the hope that it may prove of some interest to your readers, and may give them, at all events, a slight idea of what goes on in the little world of a big London hospital.
I need hardly apologise for my choice of subject since medical science has always been intimately bound up with the life of mankind, from the time of Eve, who drugged herself with the fruit of that forbidden tree, up to the present time; now there is no more interesting topic of conversation in the drawing rooms than the merits or demerits of the neighbouring doctor, unless it be the ravages of the influenza microbe.
But let us return to our muttons.
The hospital of St Barts is situated on the south side of Smithfield, within a few hundred yards of St Paul's, and in a district teeming with interest to the historian or antiquarian.
Founded by Rahere in 1123 A.D., and re-endowed by King Henry VIII, it is built round a square or quadrangle, in the centre of which is the celebrated fountain, the scene of many a midday cigarette.
It contains some 750 beds, inclusive of 70 beds at the Convalescent Home at Swanley in Kent, and during the year 1898 no less than 6400 inpatients and 145,000 outpatients were treated here. Attached to the hospital is the large medical school, dating from the year 1662, and having on the books at present some 600 students.
The fact that there is a larger annual entry of new students here than at any other London hospital is a sufficient warrant of the estimation in which it is held.
The vast majority of students live away from the hospital, and come up daily to attend the various lectures classes and demonstrations that are held, and also to see the patients that are daily under treatment in the wards or in the outpatients departments. The school buildings include lecture rooms laboratories the library which is used as a place of study, also a fine museum; reading and smoking rooms, etc.
The medical officers of the hospital are the senior staff and the junior staff. The former consists of the visiting surgeons and physicians, 10 of each, all of them men at the top of the medical profession. The latter are the house surgeons and house physicians, qualified men of perhaps one or two years standing, and one of whom is attached to each member of the senior staff.
I mention these details as there is so much misconception about such matters. As an instance of this, I may mention the fact that twice recently have I myself, a house surgeon, been described as the first or second surgeon to the hospital!
The patients, generally speaking, are under the immediate supervision of the junior staff, each of whom holds office for a period of one year. For his first six months he is non-resident, and has the main charge of the outpatients; for his second six months he is resident in the hospital, and is in charge of the inpatients in his seniors own wards.
The senior staff come down on most afternoons in the week, with the double object of seeing their patients and of imparting clinical instruction to their dresses or clerks, which are the terms applied to students in the surgical and medical wards respectively; some 12 or 15 students may commonly be seen accompanying a senior surgeon or physician on his tour round the wards.
I may here mention that an average hospital patient looks upon a dresser with great respect regarding him as one of the doctors. As an illustration I quote the following story from the S B H Journal.
"A surgeon standing at the bedside of a patient asked a dresser if he would recommend an operation for the relief of the patient's complaint. The dresser promptly said no and his opinion was supported by each of some 15 students, who were asked in turn. Well you are wrong said the surgeon for I am going to operate. Oh no you ain't said a voice from the bed eres 15 doctors said as ow it warn't a case for operation and I ain't going to let you hoperate on me". And with that he got up and walked out of the hospital.
We must not omit to mention the excellent nursing staff, some 200 in number, whose devotion to their duties and social status is at a very high level at St Barts. In fact some of the opposite sex at the hospital have been not unknown to succumb to their attractions, from a senior surgeon down to a humble dresser.
Each ward, containing some 25 to 30 beds, is under the supervision of a sister who has some half-dozen nurses under her including two on night duty.
The Ward wakes at 6 am and goes to sleep at 8 pm though naturally there is plenty to be done in the course of the night in the shape of fresh dressings, the administration of food and medicines, and padding of splints etc.
The usual routine on admission to award of a new patient is to give him or her a bath, thereby removing excessive grime, when present; cleanliness in these cases being next to health as well as to godliness. This process is not always appreciated as in the case of the man who remarked poetically "it's me mark of honest labour is the dirt" he is then put to bed between clean sheets or clean straw, as one used to express it in one's younger days; he is seen and dieted by the house surgeon or house physician in the course of the day; and there we will leave him to recover.
The outpatients attend usually in the morning, in the large room known as the surgery. Owing to their large numbers any of them must inevitably wait for long; but this is not an unmixed disadvantage, since it helps to keep away persons who are perfectly able to pay for private medical treatment, but would otherwise apply for charity.
I hardly need to say that all treatment is gratis. Were the Prince of Wales brought into the hospital with a broken leg, he would receive first aid for nothing, though he might be encouraged to contribute to the poor box which stands in a convenient situation.
Mr Editor, I must trespass on your valuables base no further I will merely add that no occupation can be more fascinating to oneself, and more productive of temporal good to others than the attempt to help nature to cure disease; when it also affords great opportunities of studying character, which comes nearer to the surface during a time of sickness than at any other time.
Finally the writer of these notes will have great pleasure in escorting any members of the Julius Jottings during his free hours round the Hospital of St Barts.

Julius Jottings No 4 Jan 1901.
Mr Herbert F. Parker's appointment at St Bartholomew's Hospital expired at the end of last September, and he entered on a new sphere of duties on December 1, as House Physician at Wolverhampton Hospital.

Herbert was in practice in Guildford in 1908, 1911, 1913.

Parker Herbert Francis of Redcap Cottage Links-road Bramley Surrey died 19 January 1947 at Malling place near Maidstone Kent Probate London 9 September 1947 to Iris Myfanwy Parker spinster.
Effects 3097 1910
Ref: National Probate Calendar

  Research Notes:

Parker family images courtesy of R Waight 2015

  Medical Notes:

Herbert suffered from senility at his end, a family trai
t - Roy Waigh

  Other Records

1. Census: England, 3 Apr 1881, Rowledge Vicarage Farnham HAM. Herbert is recorded as a son aged 6 a scholar born Rowledge.

2. Census: England, 5 Apr 1891, Rowledge Vicarage Binsted E Hants. Herbert is described as a son aged 16 single a scholar born Binsted

3. Census: England, 2 Apr 1911, Staffa Lodge Watenden Road Guildford SRY. Herbert is recorded as head of house married aged 36 a medical practitioner on his own account born Rowledge Farnham

Herbert married Edna LLOYD-DAVIS [1066] [MRIN: 338] in 1906.