THE GOOD OLD DAYS

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 136, 6 December 1939, Page 13

THE GOOD OLD DAYS

RELICS IN ENGLAND

FOUND IN A WORKHOUSE

Dr. Douglas W. Guthrie, F.R.C.S., • Eng., the eldest son of Mr. H. Douglas Guthrie, Massey Avenue.. Lower Hutt, has just returned 'from London with his wife and child. After spending nearly four years doing surgical work in several hospitals, Dr. Guthrie left England by the Empress of Britain on the same; day as the Athenia. The Empress of Britain was crowded with passengers, and went a long way out of the usual course to avoid the submarines, which all aboard knew were searching for her; it was understood that she' carried a large quantity of gold. Owing to the longer cruise this fast vessel,took over eignt days to get to Montreal. During the whole time eyerybody had to wear or carry their lifebelts;. - '■• ■ . ■~ The journey home: was continued after living several weeks in Chicago with an uncle, Dr. Ernest G. Guthrie, who has spent most of his life in America since his student days in Dunedin. Immediately on his arrival in Auckland Dr. • Douglas Guthrie was offered and accepted the position of resident surgical officer in the Auckland Hospital, where he had spent two years as a house surgeon after completing his medical course. The life in England was confined to gaining experience in surgical work in the hospitals. • In the St. Pancras Hospital. London, Dr. Guthrie ran across some relics of barbarism which do not date Very far back. This hospital has been gradually taking over one of the old workhouses of London. The old treadmill for pumping up the artesian water and a mill for grinding the corn were still there. In i the days when these were in use offenders were put to work them and in both cases the toiler was unable to see the result of his labour because the punishment was considered more complete if the task was made to appear fruitless by his being boxed off from seeing in the one case the water flowing from the treadmill operation and in the other the result of the turning of the crank-handle of the grinding mill. "Here is the interesting origin, of the now familiar term 'Putting on the screw.' On the outside of the box where the offender was compelled to operate the crank of the mill an iron band or brake was fitted round the drum and on this screws were fitted. To make it harder to turn the mill,* the scews were tightened down. During the demolition of this old workhouse another part which had been boarded up for many years was seen by Dr. Guthrie,. This was the section where lunatics were housed, and it was said that in the old ignorant times these poor mentally deranged people were looked upon as being a source of amusement, and every, Sunday was an open day, when Londoners went to see their antics. At one time the destitute people who entered, these old workhouses had the option of doing work for their keep,, or they could claim to be unfit to work and do nothing. There was one perfectly sane and able-bodied man there who had been a non-working inmate for 45 years, entering when he was sixteen years of age. Once he had established himself on the non-work-ing register it appears to have been ; nobody's business to re-examine him • during the 45 years, in which time he had. cultivated :ft show of inability when anyone*is present. ; Apart from the, many things in Eng- ; land of great interest to visitors/ Dr. ' Guthrie has returned with a decided : preference for the brdinary life in New • Zealand. ■■,-''"" ■ ' ■ ;