Catalogue description Medical Relief Committee Minute Books

The Medical Relief Committee had been established prior to 1849 because in that year there are references to the conflict between Dr. Duncan, Medical Officer of Health for the Borough of Liverpool, and the Medical Relief Committee of the Select Vestry over the organisation of preventive measures and medical relief to the poor in the cholera outbreak of that year (see W. H. Duncan..... Report to the Health Committee of the Borough of Liverpool on the Health of the Town during the years 1847 - 48 - 49 - 50...... 1851, pp. 43 - 48, 75 - 79).

The date and terms of the Committee's appointment may have been recorded in the early Board Minute Books of the Select Vestry which are no longer available (see introductory notes above). According to the Board Minute book for 1852 - 1855, it was resolved at a Board meeting of 12 Apr. 1853 that no Medical Relief Committee should be appointed for the year 1853 - 54 -" .... The duties hitherto performed by the Medical Relief & Building Committees to be taken by the Workhouse Committee" (see 353 SEL 1/1 above, p. 120) At a Board meeting of 27 Sep. 1853 a letter from the Borough Health Committee was read suggesting co-operation between "the Parochial & Health Authorities ... with reference to Cholera" and it was recorded that "... a Committee be appointed by this Board to take under their supervision all matters relating to Outdoor Medical Relief co-operating with the Health Committee in all necessary proceedings with regard to the Cholera". This Committee was referred to as the Medical Relief Committee and was re-appointed as such for the year 1854 - 55 on 25 Apr. 1854 (see 353 SEL 1/1, pp. 174, 182, 264).