Gastric lavages and guinea pigs

What's the story behind gastric lavages?

The following explanation is given by Dr Carole Reeves, Outreach Historian, the Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine, University College London.

"The gastric lavage / guinea pig story is as follows: Bronchial and gastric lavage are established methods of obtaining cells and fluid contents for analysis . It's very difficult for children to produce sputum from the mouth by coughing and hawking but they will swallow sputum after coughing. Gastric lavage is therefore the only way that enough sputum (and bacteria) can be collected. The fluid is injected into guinea pigs. If they become infected, then the child still has active disease. Guinea pigs were also used to test resistance to streptomycin.


Bacteriology has moved on from guinea pigs to culture plates. Sputum or other samples are spread on plastic disks impregnated with a growing medium such as a gel. The disks are incubated at high temperature to encourage the growth of bacteria, which is then analysed under the microscope to determine the type of organism."

Roy Harry - 1944

This is an extract from Roy Harry’s memories of Craig-y-nos. Roy has also given a full “oral history” recording to the Sleeping Giant foundation in Abercrave. Now retired Roy worked most of his life as a lecturer at Atlantic College.


“ I was born on 11 July 1941 and I was probably over 3 years of old when I was admitted.

“When my mother left me on that first day I cried and screamed for her to take me with her. I climbed out of my bed and ran after her but I was carried back and strapped into my bed with a harness.

I still remember the awful feeling -I screamed and tried to reach the buckles.

I think my worst memory of Craig-y-nos was going to a treatment room which I thought was out through the double doors, a short way along the corridor and on the right. Here some nurses - 2-3- would try and put a rubber tube down my throat. It was very unpleasant and I would shout, cry and grip the tube between my teeth to stop it going down. A Sister Powell would intervene and she would complete the procedure. She was much more forceful and threatening and as a result I was terrified of her. I remember nurses would get me to comply with their requests by saying they would send for Sister Powell.

I have no memories of leaving the ward to explore or play, except to move to a small room for a while where myself and another boy of about my age stayed for some days or weeks.

Pat and Caroline 1952

Apart from being taken on the balcony of Ward 2 around 1952 nothing is known about these two except that their names are Pat and Caroline.
Anyone throw more light on it?

Photo supplied by Marilyn Blatchford ( nee Hoyle)

Bridie Murphy- 1927

Bridie Murphy was 7 years of age when she was admitted to Craig-y-nos in 1927.
Now 87 years of age Bridie worked as a nurse all her life in Swansea, had six children and moved to Edinburgh a few years ago to be near her daughter.

She climbed Mount Sinai in the Egyptian desert when she was 75 years of age, flew in Concorde to New York at 83 years of age and is now learning to use a computer in order to trace her family history.


Bridie has sent in this account:

“Dr Clark was the lady Medical Superintendent on my admission to Craig-y-nos in 1927.

She stands out in my dodgy memory because I believe that, above all else, it was she who was responsible for my cure. She had silky silver hair and a friendly sympathetic manner.

Following a lengthy assessment by Dr Clark and two other doctors on the first day, I was carried by a porter to the x-ray department. Next day I was taken to have a plaster cast made, which was moulded to the shape of my body, from neck to feet. It was designed to immobilise my lumbar region and legs while allowing limited movement for my arms. l It was well padded and fairly comfortable, and I was raised- complete with plaster cast- one foot above the mattress on wooden blocks to provide access for the excellent nursing procedures the beds also had large castors to give easier movement when needed.


The nursing staff were especially trained to care for children and young people,and I remember them all as dedicated, cheerful and always very kind to us.

Our balcony was home to ten young females, all like myself in plaster beds. In the next bed on my left was teenager Agnes Jenkins from Abercrave. She, poor girl, had Kyphosis ( curvature of the spine). I really pitied her, but Agnes was a strong character and she coped well. We became great friends.


We all suffered from back pain, but my own was very slight compared to others and it wasn’t long before I became pain free. Sometimes at night, when I heard my little friends groaning and often screaming, I got upset and cried for them."

Dr Williams with patients

They are ( from left to right):
Jean Shakeshaft, Dr Williams, Mari Jenkins, Norma,
Alice and 2 unknowns.
Photo supplied by Myfanwy Blatchford (nee Hoyles) taken around 1952 when Myfanwy was in for five months as a 12 year old.

Visitors Pass - 1924

This is a copy of Moira Morgan’s visiting pass for 1927.
It says:

“Visitors are admitted to see patients on Thursdays from 2-4 p.m.
For Medical reasons it is sometimes undesirable for patients to see their friends.
Children under 12 will not be admitted.
Visitors may bring fruit flowers and tobacco to their friends, but nothing else.

Not more than two persons are permitted to visit a patient on the same day.

Moira Grace Morgan - 1924

Bridget Robson from Northumberland has sent in the following account of her mother’s time in Craig-y-nos in 1924.

“My mother, Moira Grace Morgan of Garden City Llangennech was in Craig-y-nos in 1924.

She was suffering from acute asthma at the time and was sent there for the “clean fresh air”.
However, it was not to be one of her favourable memories - I do not think that they were that kind in those days.

Moira was born on the 23rd December 1918 and spent her 6th birthday there.
The Christmas tree is decorated with all the toys that the parents and visitors brought in and handed over to staff to put under the tree.

My mother says she never got the doll her mother brought in - so sad.

My mother is in the middle of the picture, the one wearing a white hat with a tassel.”

Moira’s parents were David Charles Morgan and Gwendoline Hannah Morgan (nee Thomas) both from Llangennech.

2 unknown nurses -1952?

Who are these nurses?
that's Mair Edwards in bed in the background.
Photo supplied by Mari Friend ( nee Jenkins) of Cwmavon.

Glynne Lowe, patient in 1927

Glynne Lowe, age 86, from Brecon is one of the oldest ex -patients to make contact.
This is an extract from an interview he did with Caroline Boyce:

“I was 6 years of age when I went in during 1927
and I was there for 7 months before being transferred to Talgarth.
“I have no memory of treatment, apart from lying in bed, though I do remember having red sores on my legs and I still have the marks today.”
“The beds were white iron cots there were 10-12 beds and possibly more in a middle row in the ward.

He has no memories of the food , or of being cold-”you don’t feel the cold when you’re a kid.”

He recalls eating at a table at one end of the ward.
“They kept sweets there, and we were given sweets after dinner.”

Christmas at Craig-y-nos:” I remember being entertained in the Adelina Patti theatre by Harold Elston, who was a ventriloquist, and Mr Whitney, a butcher who did conjuring tricks. At the end there was a big box of sweets thrown to the children.”

Glynne went to Craig-y-nos on the train from Talgarth to Brecon, then Brecon to Peny-cae station where an ambulance took him to the hospital.

He doesn't think his mother came to visit him in Craig-y-nos : “she may have, she may not have” but cousins from Aberdare came to see him.

“I didn't like it much at Craig-y-nos - a miserable damn place.”

Married with children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren he worked most of his life selling tractors, his last job being at Elston garage in Brecon.

Wilfred Pickles and the chocolate - 1955

“Remember Wilfred Pickles on the radio? I was there when he said one day that he wished he could give a bar of chocolate to every child in Craig-y-nos. Well, the next thing we know boxes and boxes of chocolate start arriving ! we had chocolate we had never seen before.”
(Story from Margaret Howells, age 65, originally from Llanbedr, near Crickhowell now living in Glyneath.)

Who are these girls in Ward 2?

Do you recognise anyone?
I think that's Maureen on the left. e-mail me if you know- annshaw@mac.com
Photo supplied by Mary Ireland ( nee Jones), taken around 1952.

Ann Shaw ( nee Rumsey) reading -1952

This is a photo Mari Jenkins took over 50 years ago.
One of the extraordinary aspects of researching this project is that we find ourselves looking at photographs which we never knew existed.

It's like visiting a foreign country. Was this really me? Were the beds that close together? Once we were allowed up we had nowhere to go so we sat on our beds or went for a walk in the grounds - between 2-4pm.

Often on Monday afternoons there would be a film and on Saturdays an occasional concert in the Adelina Patti theatre . If you were up you were allowed to go to them. Some photos have come in showing that in the 1940's children would go even if they were in bed. They were taken there on stretchers and wheelchairs.

This had certainly been stopped by the time I was a patient.

Sandra Thomas ( nee Elson)

Sandra Thomas of Tudor St., Ystradgynlais wrote:

I was in Craig-y-Nos as a patient for the three months before it closed as a TB Sanatorium.  I was amongst a group of children in the Headmaster’s class in Talgarth CP school who caught TB.  The Headmaster’s wife had the disease and had discharged herself from hospital.  The Headmaster contracted  it and had two cavities in his lungs.  We were 10/11 year olds.
 
My memories of those three months are a bit hazy.   I was admitted into the ward and afterwards was put out on the balcony.  I was confined to bed for three months, only getting out into a wheelchair for x-rays.  Without transport it was difficult for my parents to come from Talgarth to Craig-y-Nos to visit me.
 
There are two incidents that really stick in my memory. 
 
The first is when my parents took me into Craig-y-Nos I took a pink and silver tin with biscuits and sweets in with me, given to me by a shopkeeper in Talgarth.   Dr Hubbard took the tin from me as soon as my parents had gone and distributed it amongst all the children in the ward.  It’s not that I was bothered about the contents of the tin but it was as if she had taken my security away from me.  We used to call her ‘Old Mother Hubbard’, we were all scared stiff of her.
 
The second is that one night, quite late when out on the balcony we all heard quarrelling  below in the gardens.  When the quarrelling stopped we heard beautiful singing from a female voice.  There was nothing on in the theatre that night.  We told the nurses the following morning but were more or less told that we had imagined it.  We were convinced that it was the ghost of Adelina Patti singing.
 
All told I was in hospital for almost a year.  When Craig-y-Nos closed we were ambulanced up to Bronllys Hospital where I spent the next nine months.  This made it much easier for my parents to visit me as Talgarth is only down the road from Bronllys.
 
I remember Doctor Williams in Craig-y-Nos and also Dr Mulhall when we moved to Bronllys.”


 

Dr Ivor Williams' daughter.

E-mail from Mary:

“I remember Dr Ivor Williams because he was my father! I am Mary one of the two daughters. I was thrilled to access this site via my first cousin's wife Clare!
I, needless to say have many memories, but will take some time to find photographs.

Very amused to see my old pony Tosca. Obviously being ridden while I was at boarding school! “

Nurse Glenys Davies with Muriel

Many photos have come in of Nurse Glenys Davies, surely the most photographed nurse in Craig-y-nos.
Here she is with Muriel. No more details are known.

I have just realised two facts about this photograph. Muriel is in the exact spot in Ward 2 where I spent the first year of my life in Craig-y-nos only leaving it to go for the occasional x-ray.
Secondly today is March 9th, a date that always gives me a queasy feeling cause that's the date I was taken to Craig-y-nos over 50 years ago , and mother told me I was only going in for three days. I was in for 4 years and 3 days.

( Have just returned from Dahab in Egypt and arrived at midnight in Glasgow. We had a very scary landing, or rather we didn't land but took off again at great speed into an enormous snowstorm. Worse, the captain was silent...for a long time. Eventually his voice came over the intercome and he said he was going "to attempt a second landing".
Everyone clapped when we finally touched down. )

Mary's return visit

Mary Ireland ( nee Jones) was in Ward 2 from 1950-52. She used to live in Llangattock, near Crickhowell and my mother often gave her a lift. Now Mary lives near Gloucester.

Rosina May Landers - Craig-y-nos- 1940-48

This photograph was sent in by Avril Owen of her mother, Rosina May Landers.
It was taken in Craig-y-nos sometime between 1940-44.

Avril from Brynmill, Swansea, says:"My mother died in 1948 when I was ten years old."

Pamela Hill 1958-59

Pamela says:

“One of my memories is being given a children's writing set while I was in hospital and I wrote to my father in Talgarth and also to my mother at home. I used coloured pencils and play stamps but both had my letters.

My mother was very upset when she had mine as I asked her to visit twice a week* and she could only come once a week as she was also visiting my father once a week in Talgarth.

My mother remembers Dr Huppert. She told my mother I was dull. My mother was very cross with her and said that I was quiet and if she talked to me I would answer her.
The next time she told my mother she had made a mistake and that I had a reading age of 11 at six years of age.

My brother was 3 years old when I was in hospital and sometimes mother brought him down and a nurse would look after him in the courtyard.
I was in the ward with windows over the courtyard. Robert, my brother, would sing songs up to me and always had an audience at the window. He had a cowboys outfit for his 4th birthday and I can remember him outside in it singing to me.


I can remember being very upset when my mother left. I remember being wheeled out in my bed onto the landing because they said I was disturbing the other children.”

* In the late 50’s childrens visiting was allowed every weekend instead of monthly.

Our teachers

Two familiar figures-Miss Amy White ( right), head teacher with Mrs Thomas, assistant teacher in the courtyard of Craig-y-nos Castle.

Craig-y-nos - with the balconies

Rare photo showing the whole building complete with balconies.