Galway In Days Gone By

1915

New conditions of living

In the popular mind, this is generally regarded as one of the severest winters witnessed by the present generation. It is pretty difficult to appraise how far the severe weather, the prevailing conditions in regard to foodstuffs, and the gloom of war, or all three combined, have been responsible for this outlook.

The weather, no doubt, has been exceptionally severe, and, so far as the poor are concerned, its severity has been accentuated by the increased prices demanded for coal and foodstuffs.

In low lying districts, the floods have been abnormal, and many acres have been inundated for considerable periods.

In Galway City, there has been a regular epidemic of influenza, and scarcely has anyone escaped a cold of some sort.

Apart altogether from casualties at the war, the number of deaths during the last quarter, as the obituary columns of the newspapers testify, has been somewhat higher than usual even at this period.

Nevertheless, it is gratifying to note that there has been no serious epidemic. Galway, so long subject to an annual recrudescence of disease, has been singularly free for the last couple of years, a fast which may be attributed to improved housing conditions, and to the adequate provisions made for supplying warm and nourishing food to the children during the cold and cheerless period of the year.

1940

Maternity unit re-opens

At the monthly meeting of the Galway Hospitals and Dispensaries’ Committee, Dr. D.V. Morris wrote informing the secretary that the maternity department at the Galway Central Hospital which had to be closed for some time owing to an outbreak of puerperal sepsis had been thoroughly disinfected and reopened.

Mr. Quinn: There was hardly any question that got such publicity as the closing of the maternity department and I think we should deal with this matter and not let it off so lightly.

Chairman: It is certainly a matter that we should go into very thoroughly; it got tremendous publicity in Dublin.

Mr. Quinn: And in the local papers, too.

Secretary: It may have a good effect in hurrying up the new hospital. I believe that the doctors were unable to trace any carriers. When the medical staff were unable to to find the cause it would be very hard for the Committee to do so. So many bad cases come in here, it is very hard to know how it would spread.

The sad part of it is it cost four lives.

Mr. Beegan: And all the suffering it had brought on families as a result.

The secretary said that there were still 252 patients in the general hospital, where there were only 200 beds. There were also 38 patients in the fever hospital.

House sale

‘Palace View’, Bishop-street, Tuam, the private residence of late Mrs. Guy, Imperial Hotel, Tuam, was sold by public sale on Monday and purchased by Dr. Waldron, Bishop-street for the sum of £410.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.