Takeheart Health Check      

An example of the Gooch/Monsey correspondence - A primary source

Guildhall Norwich Nov the 22nd 1770

Dear Doctor,
For your care and attention you are verily(?) entitled to be thankfully acquainted with our hospital proceedings. They are in a prosperous state: we have already a subscription of almost £3000 towards the building, besides the annual for the support of the institution of near £800; and subscriptions for both purposes are daily coming in. The succes we think cannot fail, ultimately of proving equal to the goodness of such establishments, and to the satisfaction of the promoters. By this post I shall write a letter of thanks to Mr Pott, in the name of the Society, for his particular care and attention to our requests to give his advice and answer our queries - At length the plan this day is finally agreed upon, for a plain, substantial building without superfluous ornaments,

and only two stories high, the wards are intended to be 20 feet wide and 15 feet high, of various sizes, with galleries of 6 feet wide, with a proper number of windows and openings in the partitions, with running shutters to them in order to prevent as much as possible the danger arising from impure, stagnant air, and by these means and occasionally opening the windows in the wards placed at ??? from the floor, we have great expectation that the end of ventilation will be effectively answered, besides galleries there will be good walking places for the convalescents when the weather will not admit of their having the benefit of open air, at this time contributing more than anything to their perfect recovery in many cases.Another object we have particularly

in view, the prevention of the privies from being offensive in the effluvia proceeding from thence must be very hurtful to the patients as well as disagreeable to others; we hope we have thought of a method effectually to answer that material purpose with great convenience to the patients. The ground will be soon marked out to build upon, material prepared and every necessary step taken to erect the edifice with all possible expedition, and I hope you'll see it in great forwardness if you'll give us the pleasure of your company at Shottisham next summer, and then we may make an agreeable visit at Woolterton, but multa cadunt. The intended situation is a delightful spot of dry rising ground and the most elligible in all respects of any