Informative Essay: The Western General Dispensary

The Western General Dispensary

Following the rapid increase in the population of the area to the west of Baker Street in 1830 that was associated with the building of the Great Western Railway, poverty and overcrowding became a major problem and this institution was planned for the sick poor of St Marylebone, Paddington and Kilburn . The men involved in starting this Dispensary included a relatively large number of doctors, four general practitioners and a physician, with eight laymen and the curate of the parish Revd Bryant Burgess who took the chair at the original meeting. A house was purchased at 9 Lisson Grove South to be used and the objects of the charity were:

• To provide medical and surgical advice and medicine for poor persons, without

The Directors considered that the public were genuinely too poor to make provident contributions and belonged to a class which lay between the 'stable artisan' and the 'depraved pauper'. They had not even consented to a suggestion sent by the British Medical Association in 1894 that they should adopt a means test, believing, as they did, that the service was not abused . In 1936 the St Marylebone General Dispensary started negotiating for a union with the Dispensary as they were looking for a new building and the St Marylebone Dispensary in effect took over the work of the Western

Dr Edgar Barker, a doctor founder, with his son made up an overlapping sequence of association for 73 years as medical officers, treasurers and directors (1830-1893), (1857-1903) and Mr RJP Broughton, together with his son (HPB) served 93 years as directors and Chairmen of the Board (1853-1911,