Blockley Almshouse

Some interesting historical look at ways that fasting has been used in the past.

Fascinating study I found from Philadelphia General Hospital, 1964.

They're admitting patients for longer fasting.

And it's just amazing, you know, some of the results that they were getting then.

And I have examples from Pennsylvanian history that show this.

For example, one of the targeted areas was a place called the Blockley Almshouse, and in 1860, there's actually, like it was known for being a extremely poor graveyard.

Um, the people that had died had gone to the almshouse, so they were indigent.

And, um, this is one of the guards of the cemetery at Blockley Grounds said that he would've preferred to see bodies openly carried away from the graveyards by medical students to seeing the pockets of the superintendent surreptitiously lined by the auriferous traffic.

They seemed to look upon the garb of the sisters, the emblem of religion and charity, as an earnest of God's blessing in hours and days of trial.

part two of work of the sisters during the epidemic of influenza october nineteen eighteen by francis edward tersher st leonard's academy the first call for help was from the philadelphia general hospital blockley there is a point of importance to be noted here in the report of the sisters to the compiler it is stated incidentally that two-thirds of the nursing force were prostrate by the disease with none to replace them in the wards six sisters responded to this first call the time of the sisters services in blockley was october seventh to october twenty three telling of the first day's experience the sister writes some of the poor sick had had no attention for eighteen hours and some had not been bathed for over a week the poor brave overworked nurses could not possibly reach the numbers which were constantly growing by the admission of new cases there were two nurses only for thirty-five to forty helpless patients in each ward many of the sick moreover were violently delirious it is not a wonder says the sister that so many nurses fell under the burden the sisters were appointed for the work in the wards for women and children and the tribute which the sisters paid to the patient endurance of these usually the poorest of god's poor is again deserving of note they were all touchingly grateful for the smallest service given it was here in blockley that one of the sisters mother marie aloysius contracted the disease and died after working with the sick all day sunday october thirteenth she retired sunday evening not feeling well the next day she received the last sacraments and the following day tuesday october fifteenth she was called to her reward a notice of her life and death will be found at the end of this account the chief physician and head nurse at blockley have written personally to express appreciation and thanks for the efficient work and help of the sisters in the time of their greatest need interns nurses and patients also were very sincere in their expressions of gratitude for the sisters services and for the favoured experience of seeing and proving practically the devotedness of their life and work october eighth a call came to the convent through the intermedium of our most reverend archbishop for help at the biddle home for imbecile children in response three sisters were sent from st leonard's one of these was the very efficient sister cook of the community who took the place of the absent chef at the institution until another could be found the two other sisters gave their attention and care to the poor afflicted children there were many calls for the sisters services in private homes telling their experience in this line of district nursing the sisters describe one home in which a young mother lay dead her two little ones crying bitterly in the next room while the aged parents heart-broken and quite in despair were trying to nurse three other daughters all very ill the sisters took charge of the house and nursing and remained until all were on the way to recovery assumption the sisters here were called october seventh to care for one of the assistant priests in the rectory the rev jeremiah mahon his case was serious from the beginning the other two assistants the cook and all the help in the house were also ill so that the sisters had to take full charge in the rectory father mahon died october nineteenth his relatives in token of the sisters kind services gave the dead priest's chalice for use in the convent chapel two of the sisters were called to care for one of the priests ill at the church of our lady of the blessed sacrament two other sisters were sent in the early days of the epidemic to relieve the overworked sisters and care for the poor little charges in the home for crippled children the sisters who were left free there are thirteen in the community visited the sick and afflicted in the parish one of these cases was a lone greek girl to whom they went at the archbishop's request her parents could not come to her this girl was very ill but recovered and has since shown herself very grateful one day an unknown woman accosted two sisters on the street and begged them to go to a house where she said all were ill but the father the sisters went to the place and found all mother and children in an improvised bed in the kitchen this was explained by the fact that the sister-in-law had come to take care of them she had sickened and died while the father was at his work her body was lying upstairs it was then two days since her death and several more days passed before the united efforts of the sisters and the father of the family succeeded in having the body removed this poor family the sisters say had no knowledge of any religion poor indeed p p in the convent and academy many were ill some had the influenza in a light form only others were very sick the last sacraments were given to three and one young sister was at the very door of death she recovered the parish school was closed october seventh at ten a m thus leaving four more sisters free for relief work that same day came by telephone an urgent call for help from lamacon below chester the case was one of a young mother of two beautiful children and one yet unborn she had double pneumonia following an attack of influenza two sisters went to this home in lamacon that same afternoon one to care for the patient the other to take charge of household duties the sisters remained until the nurse was procured for the sufferer and relatives came to take care of the house when they were summoned away to more urgent cases.

This poor mother died after two weeks of unconsciousness and delirium.

Tyler

Twelve sisters from Immaculate Conception Convent, Germantown, cared for the students at the Lazarus Seminary who were afflicted with influenza there.

catholic home bureau seventeen o two summer street philadelphia pennsylvania during the epidemic about one hundred and twenty two children were received at the bureau nearly all suffering from influenza in greater or less degree these children were placed at the bureau temporarily during the illness of one or both parents at home twenty seven of these were infants from one week to six months old these remained for about one month at the bureau six children died during the epidemic all of whom had contracted the disease before their admission to the home four sisters in charge of the children were assisted by two sisters from the annunciation two from sacred heart and two from holy name alternately during several weeks one of the sisters a trained nurse superintended the work summary children admitted one hundred and twenty two ranging from one week to fifteen years twenty seven under six months deaths six nurses four stationed regularly at the home bureau and six relief helpers serving alternately in pairs children dismissed on or before november ninth seventy six in philadelphia the sisters of the immaculate heart have twenty-six convents or mission houses from these convents one hundred and twenty-seven sisters were serving in general and emergency hospitals one hundred and sixty-two caring for the sick in private homes there were one hundred and eleven sisters sick with influenza and seven died in the philadelphia outside philadelphia are twenty-nine convents including the mother house at westchester and villa maria at immaculada in these were one hundred and four sick sisters had eighty-five sick pupils to be cared for at villa maria academy immaculada forty-four sisters were nursing in private homes in the country missions and sixty-two served in emergency hospitals Part 3 of Work of the Sisters During the Epidemic of Influenza, October 1918, by Francis Edward Turcher.

part three relief work of the sisters of the immaculate heart emergency and general hospitals blockley one sister tells of district nursing in st agatha's parish before she was sent to blockley her words reveal a state of mind which was probably the thought and consciousness of most of these volunteers i joined those who volunteered to nurse she says realizing fully my incompetency so that the act seemed to be presumptuous but god has supplied what was lacking from total inexperience and truthfully i can say the memories of october nineteen eighteen hold some of the most consoling thoughts of my life on october tenth two companions with myself were sent to a house in the rear of haverford avenue bravely we started but no one admitted until later the extreme timidity experienced not from the fear of the disease but from coming in contact with strangers in strange homes we found a sick mother with two sick children in the same bed and in another bed three more but all in the same room the windows were closed tightly and we felt that we could taste the fever the father who was just recovering and a boy of nine were the only nurses we relieved them and after bathing the patients giving the medicines prescribed and some nourishment we cleaned the room and prepared some food for the father we returned to this same house on friday and saturday october eleven and twelve about noon on saturday october twelfth we received a note from mother telling me to return at once as some sisters were needed elsewhere i was sent with five others to the philadelphia general hospital we were met at the entrance and conducted to that part of the establishment in which we were to work that walk from the entrance to the wards seemed unending one of the sisters whispered to me how shall we ever get in the next day i replied i think we're getting in beautifully what worries me is how shall we get out when we reached our destination we found five wards full of men we were informed that another community had been given charge of the women and children but the men had to lie there neglected notwithstanding our inexperience we were given full charge of these wards as the two head nurses of this department were entirely alone these ladies are catholics and had implicit confidence in the sisters Welcome to the family.

Every kickoff.