Memories of Dulwich Hospital

[fish]

Many years ago, I remember the ambulance taking me to the casualty department of Dulwich Hospital. It was all rather vague and all I can remember is a small room, where I was treated. This was the early 1980's. Has my memory served me well and does anyone else have any memories of our long lost Hospital?

[Keef]

Remember my sister and I going to see my mum in there in the early 90's, and thinking then what a shabby sh!t hole it was (nice building yes, but come one!). The Sister on the ward thought that my (older) sister and I were twins because we both had long hair and leather Jackets on. My sister was not impressed.

We then went for a pint and a game of pool in the Foresters... I was about 14.

[SimonM]

I am pretty sure Dulwich Hospital had no casualty/A & E dept as recently as the 1980's. I had dealings with this hospital from the mid 70's and even then there was a big sign at the gate warning people of the fact that King's was the nearest emergency dept.

[Jah Lush]

Too many to mention, none of them particularly happy ones either. I can't recall them ever having a casualty department though. Usually you'd end up in Kings and then maybe depending on whether any beds were available you'd get transferred to Dulwich or Lewisham Hospitals.

[lilolil]

My Uncle John manned the gate and the switchboard until he transfered to a "new town", Crawley in the late 1960's.

I had all my ante natal appointments at Dulwich Hospital, and my son was one of the last to be born there.

I made lots of visits there either as a patient or as visitor, and have been scared silly when one of the spiritual residents chased me down the staircase (turn left at the cafe, 1st stairs on the left)LOL!!!!!!!!

[Frisco]

I recall research being undertaken at Dulwich Hospital into using pig kidneys in human transplants, which hit the newspaper headlines at the time.

I later had to go there to see a consultant, but the memories of that aren't pleasant - it was a filthy hole and the clinic was chaotic. It also didn't help that I was misdiagnosed for 15 months and eventually had to spend a lot of money to get a correct diagnosis, privately.

[fish]

SimonM Wrote:

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> I am pretty sure Dulwich Hospital had no

> casualty/A & E dept as recently as the 1980's. I

> had dealings with this hospital from the mid 70's

> and even then there was a big sign at the gate

> warning people of the fact that King's was the

> nearest emergency dept.

Well, this is where I was taken - as confirmed by my mum and I was given an x-ray, too.

[Dulwich Born And Bred]

Well I do not remember being born in Dulwich hospital but i remember going to see my baby sister 21 years ago in Dulwich Hospital! and I am only 29! I am going to miss that place:(

[downsouth]

Going to see a relative born there about 20 years ago - it was a dump. I was very young but amazed that they could bring people there to give birth. Shame as the architecture is/was amazing.

[macroban]

I remember having physiotherapy in the gym, but that was 50 years ago.

[ed_pete]

Bit of history here on the Dulwich Society website, including memories of the Hospital Radio service.

[East Dulwich Angst]

Well, this is where I was taken - as confirmed by my mum and I was given an x-ray, too.

Dulwich hospital hasn't had an A & E dept since just after WW2. There was a Vent dept where the used to take patients after surgery, so you were probably seen there. They still have an x-ray dept.

[macroban]

> Dulwich hospital hasn't had an A & E dept since just after WW2.

I'm pretty sure the last time I used A &E was c1962.

[East Dulwich Angst]

I was told it was closed in the 50's, by one of the head nurses at Dulwich today. (She could be wrong tho)

[SimonM]

>>There was a Vent dept where the used to take patients after surgery<<

Oh my goodness yes the Vent Unit! where I spent more than one mostly, and thankfully, brief stays. It wasn't just for post-surfery patients though, it was to all intents and purposes an intensive care unit, and essential given all the rena; transplants they did there until that department moved to St George's.

"Why not call it that then?" I recall asking one young doctor. "Dulwich is not allowed to have an intensive care unit for political reasons", she smoothly replied "so we have a Vent Unit..."

[spadetownboy]

never a patient there thank christ,but when i first started working at kings ,i was renting in east dulwich grove and used to get the shuttle bus between the two sites and my only abiding memory of the place was coming off nights,getting the shuttle to dulwich and popping into the hospital for a nice fried breakfast before hitting the pillow.

[EDmummy]

Stunk of wee! Had some antenatal classes there in late 1990s- had to leave because of odour and pregnancy olfactory sensitivity!

[Domitianus]

I went to get a blood sample taken there about a year ago and they gave me ice-cream and jelly afterwards for being such a brave boy!

[Asset]

Harumph. I had a blood sample done there and they lost it. Had to do another one. No ice cream either.

[Domitianus]

Maybe they drank it! Or sold it to an Olympic athlete who needed to cheat a drug-test?

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Had a blood test also last year by lovely man who gently coaxed me because I am such a coward and used a baby needle and I never felt a thing.

[Asset]

Domitianus Wrote:

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> Maybe they drank it! Or sold it to an Olympic

> athlete who needed to cheat a drug-test?

may not have done them any good!

[Domitianus]

You big wuss! You do realise that because of your selfishness some innocent, doe-eyed little two-year-old prolly got the fifty-calibre sized knitting needle thrust into his/her thread-like veins?

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

As long as it wasn't me.

[EDOldie]

I was born there, 1957, and remember, as a kid, going to A & E must of been early 60's and being kept in. The A & E must have closed in the mid 60's as my brother almost blew his hand off on Nov 5th and we had to go to the A & E in Hermitage Road !!! Upper Norwood, not kings for some reason. Any local NHS historians out there?