The Albert Memorial Hospital became embroiled in a public feud in 1877 when the hospital board decided to cut the number of its medical officers from two to one – but not out of financial expediency.
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For some years, the hospital had been served by Doctors W Lyons and Thomas. In January 1877, the board made the controversial decision of only rehiring Dr Thomas for the ensuing 12 months. This launched a bitter war of words between Dr Lyons and the board, which was to last for four months.
In a letter to the Mercury, Dr Lyons challenged the decision, saying that in the event of a catastrophe, there would not be enough doctors on hand. He asked that subscribers and donors to the institution withhold their money in protest.
A second letter writer, giving the name “Subscriber”, challenged the doctor’s commitment to the hospital, alleging that when he was asked to consult on various cases, he treated the request “with contempt” by ignoring it.
Other claims included discharging a patient to avoid a consultation, suggesting committee members attend his surgery to have drugs tested on them, and a false accusation made against Reverend Dean Ewing that he did not pay one of his bills.
“I state most positively that Dr Lyons was of no service to the hospital as regards consultations during the last two years,” Subscriber said.
He added that the doctor was more interested in the £20 remuneration for the annual post than the hospital’s welfare.
The hospital managing committee weighed in, giving instances where Dr Lyons had failed to meet consultations. Dr Lyons then went through each mentioned case, accounting for his absences.
The committee had asked him to report on “the quality and quantity” of all drugs at the institution.
“Does it come within the range of my duties as medical officer ‘to take stock’ of all the useless, musty drugs that have been lying in the place for upwards of 10 years?” he asked.
Lyons’ letters took a nasty turn when he surmised that the letter writer, “Subscriber”, was none other than committee secretary Rev George Charter.
“It may be naturally assumed that if a man is so unwilling to own his legitimate offspring and tries hard to share the paternity with two other men, he would be still more reluctant to father his spurious [claims],” he wrote.
After months of public vitriol, a special committee meeting was held in May when all parties decided to bury the hatchet.
Dr Lyons was reappointed to his post, provided he attend all consultations when requested to.
This he guaranteed to do.
Photo: Wollongong’s Albert Memorial Hospital. Picture courtesy of the collections of the Wollongong City Library and the Illawarra Historical Society.
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For a list of the electoral rolls, 1842-64: investigator.records.nsw.gov.auf. NSW Registry of Births, Deaths & Marriages, records from 1788: bdm.nsw.gov.au