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Skin Hospital

Those little hospitals are not there now are they? The eye hospital,Ear nose and throat,I

Hi Elizabeth.

The Eye Hospital is now in Western Road on the site of the old infirmary and adjacent to City Hospital. It is called The Birmingham and Midland Eye Centre and, according to a notice in the Outpatients Dept, it is the second largest in Europe.

Old Boy
 
Oh yes i remember i had to go there a few years ago, what we used to know as Dudley Rd
 
Does anyone know what's happening with the old Skin Hospital building in John Bright Street?

I can only find that it was up for sale in 2017 and it appeared it had been bought with the intention of turning it into a night club - did that happen?

I've just looked at it on Google street view, obviously it won't be open at the moment with Covid, but it looks a bit sad - tagging graffiti on the walls and windows.
Very sad, it's a lovely building.
 

Skin Hospital, John Bright Street​

1670425262408.png
this listed building on John Bright Street is a former hospital, built in 1881, it opened in 1888. It was originally Birmingham Skin and Urinary Hospital but I’ve heard it described as the Birmingham Skin and Lock Hospital and I wondered what that meant. After a little research it seems that Lock Hospitals were for the treatment of people with venereal diseases. The hospital had three entrances, one for staff, one for men and one for women and children. In 1935 the main skin hospital moved to new premises but the John Bright Street building remained open as an outpatients department until 1983.
 
The original Lock Hospitals were as described for treating venereal diseases. However, they were much more than this and certainly not pleasant places for their patients, they were predominantly for treating women with venereal diseases.

Have just read an article about one in Glasgow, based on Rottenrow is described as akin to an internment camp. The origin of the name is from English "Loke" meaning home for lepers. Many of these women were fallen women working as prostitutes locally. But many were children of school age upwards.

It is believe a lot of these children were from Glasgows, Magdalene Asylum for fallen women. In one year around a dozen children were transferred from the asylum to the lock. A vile belief at this time was that men could cure themselves from venereal diseases by having intercourse with a young virgin.

Patients were kept in isolation with no contact. Treatment included the use of Mercury, which we all know is a poison. Many never had chance to return to normal life as they were seen as contaminated those that did returned to prostitution. Victorian cases of child abuse were rarely discussed and often just swept under the carpet. The Lock hospital in Rottenrow only closed for good in 1947. Many of the horrors that took place we will never know. I can imagine that the one in Birmingham had a similar horror story to tell.
 
The original Lock Hospitals were as described for treating venereal diseases. However, they were much more than this and certainly not pleasant places for their patients, they were predominantly for treating women with venereal diseases.

Have just read an article about one in Glasgow, based on Rottenrow is described as akin to an internment camp. The origin of the name is from English "Loke" meaning home for lepers. Many of these women were fallen women working as prostitutes locally. But many were children of school age upwards.

It is believe a lot of these children were from Glasgows, Magdalene Asylum for fallen women. In one year around a dozen children were transferred from the asylum to the lock. A vile belief at this time was that men could cure themselves from venereal diseases by having intercourse with a young virgin.

Patients were kept in isolation with no contact. Treatment included the use of Mercury, which we all know is a poison. Many never had chance to return to normal life as they were seen as contaminated those that did returned to prostitution. Victorian cases of child abuse were rarely discussed and often just swept under the carpet. The Lock hospital in Rottenrow only closed for good in 1947. Many of the horrors that took place we will never know. I can imagine that the one in Birmingham had a similar horror story to tell.
Thanks for a super explanation. One night with Venus, the rest of your life with Mercury as they say about the treatment before antibiotics.
 

Skin Hospital, John Bright Street​

View attachment 175911
this listed building on John Bright Street is a former hospital, built in 1881, it opened in 1888. It was originally Birmingham Skin and Urinary Hospital but I’ve heard it described as the Birmingham Skin and Lock Hospital and I wondered what that meant. After a little research it seems that Lock Hospitals were for the treatment of people with venereal diseases. The hospital had three entrances, one for staff, one for men and one for women and children. In 1935 the main skin hospital moved to new premises but the John Bright Street building remained open as an outpatients department until 1983.

The Skin and Lock was at temporary place at 103 Newhall Street in 1881.
May 1886, Birmingham Daily Post, gives the details of the future move to John Bright Street.


9159A3F4-5857-40A2-8BEB-40409C4CDD7D.jpeg6F11DB2D-412E-41C1-B504-21657CB9D266.jpeg
 
The Skin and Lock Hospital came into existence in 1881 and was referred to as such until the early 1920s. It then became the Skin and Urinary Hospital for a short time until it became just the Skin Hospital in the mid 1920's.

For anyone interested the are a few annual reports for the hospital in the early 1940s on the Internet Archive.
 

Skin Hospital, John Bright Street​

View attachment 175911
this listed building on John Bright Street is a former hospital, built in 1881, it opened in 1888. It was originally Birmingham Skin and Urinary Hospital but I’ve heard it described as the Birmingham Skin and Lock Hospital and I wondered what that meant. After a little research it seems that Lock Hospitals were for the treatment of people with venereal diseases. The hospital had three entrances, one for staff, one for men and one for women and children. In 1935 the main skin hospital moved to new premises but the John Bright Street building remained open as an outpatients department until 1983.

Another wider view of the Skin and Lock Hospital, John Bright Street (1886)

Health care in Birmingham : the Birmingham teaching hospitals 1779-1939 by Reinarz, Jonathan. (2009)


96303C15-99C0-4844-A33D-E425DB31DAEE.jpeg
 
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