Ballycultra Dispensary
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The Ballycultra Dispensary is a representation of a traditional doctor’s Surgery and its’ associated medical Dispensary. This small town dispensary is housed in a plain terrace building consisting of three rooms; a Waiting room, the doctor’s Consulting room and the back room which is both the Dispensary workroom and store.
Although patent medicines were common by the 1900s many individual prescriptions were still ‘made up’ by following the doctor’s own instructions. The Dispensary was a place where everyday medical advice and care was available and a range of approved medicines was prepared as required for local distribution to patients.
The dispensary doctor undertook a variety of treatments, such as, treating dislocations, dressing minor wounds, lancing boils, and if required, on occasion pulling teeth. Inoculations and vaccinations were available and advice was given on concerns relating to several familiar and feared contagious diseases, such as tuberculosis or TB.
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Commonly known as Consumption, TB is a deadly wasting disease of the lungs which was responsible for nearly 16% of the deaths in Ireland in 1906. Older children and young adults were particularly susceptible to the disease and it was popularly believed by some to be a weakness or taint inherited through some ill fated families.
The infectious nature of germ tubercle bacillus was only confirmed by science in l882. Primarily a disease of poverty and overcrowding, its treatment was addressed by the introduction of new sanitary laws, the establishment of sanatoriums and special hospitals for consumptives together with use of improved medicines.
From the middle of 19th century, a system of publicly funded dispensaries had been established throughout Ireland. Dispensaries were controlled by the Poor Law Commissioners who were appointed by the government of the day. It was the responsibility of individual Poor Law Unions to establish and fund a dispensary for their locality.
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The Board of Guardians of a Union appointed a Medical Officer (the doctor, who had to be a qualified GP) and other medical staff. Due to the expense most dispensaries were staffed only by the doctor and perhaps one pharmacist or general assistant.
Patients seeking help from the local dispensary did receive free medical treatment but they first had to apply for an approved ticket from the local Poor Law, Relieving Officer or Warden. A black coloured ticket was issued to patients able to visit the dispensary while a red coloured ticket was issued to those eligible for treatment by the doctor in their own homes. Dispensary doctors could treat private patients but in many districts there were simply more paupers than paying patients. Many 19th century dispensary doctors and their families lived on a limited and fixed income.
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The Poor Law authorities granted little if any patient confidentiality regarding the public naming of the sick poor. So, if they could afford it most people paid for their own medical treatment either by joining one of the many Friendly or ‘self help’ Benefit societies or as illness arose by paying a doctor’s fee. A popular range of patent medicines, home treatments and traditional cures were also resorted to by many people when they fell ill.
Like the local dispensary the poorhouse or Union workhouse was also under the authority of the Poor Law Commissioners. Over time many Union workhouses acquired their own hospital wards and dispensaries which later developed into modern NHS hospitals. In time, the older style public dispensary was replaced by the modern GP Practice or Health Clinic now often sited with a retail pharmacy situated close by.
Introduced in the mid 1980s, the illuminated Green Cross sign which is now attached to most modern chemist shops indicates that the premises also serves as an approved medical dispensary.
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