GREETINGS to the ill and the hale and hearty alike, it’s another Bluffer’s Guide to Irish.
The Bluffer went on a guided tour in Belfast City Centre last week, visiting various sainchomharthaí - landmarks connected with the city’s medical history with the very knowledgeable David Stewart as our treoraí - a guide.
Leigheas is the Irish for medicine – the subject, not the stuff you take when you’re ill, that’s cógas – and our first stop was opposite the Northern Bank in Donegall Street West, most famous for “losing” £26.5million in 2004 but in the 19th century, it was the home of a Dr Samuel Brown, the town’s first statutory
Medical Office of Health and as you can imagine bhí sé thar a bheith gnóthach - he was very busy with people flooding into Belfast to work in longthógáil - shipbuilding or tionscal an línéadaigh - the linen industry but the town wan’t really ready to cope with the influx.
There was no proper soláthar uisce - water supply nor a proper córas séarchais - sewage system and the overall sanitary system had a lot to be desired. It is said that the average life expectancy (ionchas saoil if you must know) for Belfast people in the mid-1840s was nine. Yep, nine, due to the high death rate of children and na galair - the diseases which weren’t curable then but which are nowadays.
There were many epidemics such as calar - cholera, anfiabhras tíofóideach - typhoid fever, dinnearach - dysentery and bolgach - smallpox, on top of another big killer, eitinn - tuberculosis.
We then took a trip round the corner to Howard Street and opposite the Presbyterian Assembly buildings, there is an alleyway and it is here that the House of Correction stood. Yep, not only was an príosún - the prison the prison here but it was also the out-of-hours doctor service where a dochtúir - a doctor would work with a capall - a horse outside to take him to the ill-about-town.
David then took us to Queen Street where we had a look at the former stáisiún póilíní - police station which was also Belfast’s first childrens’ hospital.
Otharlann or ospidéal is the Irish for a hospital so Otharlann na bPáistí (or Ospidéal na Leanaí) is the Children’s hospital.
Florence Nightingale took an interest in the Queen Street hospital as one of her students was a matron there.
One doesn’t want to give too much away about the tour but there was more to learn about Dr William Drennan, better known as a member of - the United Irishmen but he was one of the early advocates of inaclú - inoculation against smallpox and, a new concept at the time, washing the hands to prevent infhabhtú - infection.
Drennan’s sister Martha McTier helped found the Lying-In hospital, just down from the John Hewitt on Donegall Street, to aid labouring ‘indigent females’ by providing accommodation, food and medical supervision during childbirth.
All in all, it was a fascinating hour, thanks to the NI Science festival who organised the event – time to do some research, I think.
CUPLA FOCAL
sainchomharthaí(siynkhorhee) - landmarks
treoraí (chroree) - a guide
leigheas(layiss) - medicine
cógas(cugiss) - medicine
bhí sé thar a bheith gnóthach (vee shay har a vay grohakh) - he was very busy
longthógáil(lunhogaal) - shipbuilding
tionscal an línéadaigh(chunskil un leenaydee) - the linen industry
soláthar uisce (solaher ishka) - water supply
córas séarchais(coriss shayrahiss) - sewage system
ionchas saoil(inkhas seel) - life expectancy
na galair (ne galer) - the diseases
calar(calar) - cholera
an fiabhras tíofóideach(un feevriss cheefoyjakh) - typhoid fever
dinnearach(jinnerakh) - dysentery
bolgach(bolagakh) - smallpox
an príosún(preesoon) - the prison
dochtúir(dokhtoor) - a doctor
capall(capal) - a horse
stáisiún póilíní (staashoon poeleene) - police station
otharlann(oherlaan) or ospidéal(ospajel) - a hospital
eitinn (etchin) - tuberculosis
ionaclú (inacloo) - inoculation
infhabhtú(inaowtoo) - infection