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| This largely unedited audio recording is a narrative from Mrs. Matthews; an insight into social conditions in Leicester in the 1930s, through the eyes of a young midwife. She trained at the old Bond Street Hospital before starting work under the supervision of an experienced midwife in the Abbey Street area of Leicester in 1932. She describes the primitive facilities of the homes of poor families, and gives interesting insights into community life of the period. Local men were largely reliant on poorly paid casual work and the women could not afford to go into hospital to give birth. Contraception was little used and Mrs Matthews relates how this led to large families living in poor conditions, illegal abortions and a high incidence of venereal disease. She recalls how the lack of fresh air and sunlight contributed to health problems and describes the treatment of the large proportion of the population in her district suffering from tuberculosis. Later we hear how "yellow cards" provided a simple form of health insurance through the workplaces - men paid a halfpenny a week to cover the whole family with a basic health service. Please note - those using this material with children should be aware that it discusses contraception, criminal abortions and the incidence of venereal disease. The recording may not be regarded as full broadcast quality due to recording and background noise, however it remains useful as illustrative material. The original recording is held by the East Midlands Oral History Archive (EMOHA ref: 389, LO/009/C9), at http://www.le.ac.uk/emoha/ This recording lasts for 27 minutes and 18 seconds. |
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| Creators: |
Interviewee - Matthews, Mrs. G.
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Subject: |
Health
Oral History
History
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| Contributors: |
East Midlands Oral History Archive - Other
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Date created:
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01 / 01 / 1989
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Language:
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English
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Country:
Region:
City:
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United Kingdom
Leicester
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Rights:
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Community Media Association has non exclusive rights for the use of the work in The Showcase, but the overall copyright rests with East Midlands Oral History Archive. Copyright East Midlands Oral History Archive
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If your browser can’t display the graphical link above to the translator, you may translate this page by going to the Babelfish website and pasting the address for this page into the box marked “Translate a web page”. |
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