What was life like before the NHS?

[Tatami]

The NHS turned 75 yesterday. It got me thinking about what was life like before the NHS. I'm most interested in the 1920s and 30s, when my Grandmothers would have been born. Would my Great-Grandmothers and their generation most likely have given birth at home, paid a midwife or just relied on the wisdom of a relative or friend? They weren't at all wealthy. Were working men given priority for any free or charitable care? Is there a good book or any records where I can find out more? Thank you.

That's post NHS

Good recommendation, that's a great book.

My grandmother was a midwife in London pre nhs. There was a lot of barely qualified people (she did 6 months training then became an solo practictioner with very little, if any, oversight) and lots of people died. There was almost no regulation and a lot depended on what you could afford.

Relative in her late 70s still remembers having to call the doctor out if someone was really ill and how expensive it was. Otherwise they just suffered/died.

One of the first comments says it sounds just like America today

My grandparents had a baby who died at 6 weeks old due to meningitis in around 1942.The gp said there was nothing that could be done and the gp advised them to take him home and look after him until he died. He died a couple of days later. No clinical support for him or psychological support for my grandparents. I work on a childrens ward now, and we have a palliative care team and access to hospice care if needed for those children who unfortunately pass away with support provided for parents and siblings. My grandparents spoke of this baby very often. He was loved and not forgotten x

Shorter and with more pain/ailments

Lark Rise to Candleford compares the situation before and after, briefly, but is interesting for lots of other reasons too

Both my grandmothers (born in 1922 and 1924) were born at home. My maternal gran said her younger brother wasn't breathing at birth and whoever was helping at the birth threw him under the bed and went back to try and help my great gran from bleeding out. He then started yelling so they fished him. Definitely no doctors and my grandmother as a nurse was in great demand to help by the early 40s.

Both my parents were born at home too in the 1940s (pre 1948). My maternal gran had a local woman around who was paid in whisky, she gave birth on the dining table and my paternal grandmother went to her grandmother's (Roma, mother to around 15 children herself). Definitely no men allowed anywhere near the process until baby/mum had been cleaned up and in my dad's case think it was about a month before his dad was allowed to see him. Not sure if that was cultural though.

My paternal grandfather died aged 27 from TB in 1947, in hospital. His parents had come from Ireland when he was a child in search of a better life for him and his siblings. He also had 3 sisters with the exact same name because the 1st two died (one at birth and one at 7 months old). He was one of 13 who survived infancy.

My Grandmother told me if you were ill you had to pay for a visit from the doctor. You had to pay for your medicine. If you were very poor and couldn't afford a doctor you might die.

My grandmother was born with both hips dislocated, at home to her mother who had disabling rheumatoid arthritis and her dad who was in France fighting in WW1 at the time and came back crippled from gas and other injuries. There wasn't any money for her to see a doctor, and it was only when she still wasn't walking at gone two that they found the money. Then she spent 5 years in Great Ormond Street which was free, even though they lived in Richmond and even if they'd been allowed to see her more than once a week they couldn't afford it - but they couldn't afford for her to be in a hospital closer either. They couldn't afford for doctors visits or treatments for either of them as well, and my grandmother went into service at 14 living far away from home to be able to send money home to them. Only her youngest was born just after the NHS started, and lack of healthcare meant she suffered a catastrophic bone failure shortly after which was probably preventable.
So, as usual, I think that pre NHS things were pretty OK if you had money, pretty shit if you didn't and especially if you were chronically ill

My father had severe asthma as a child. He would be confined to bed for 2-3 days when he had an attack. If there was money for the doctor, he would be given an injection, otherwise he would be struggling to breathe for the duration.

I'm also remembering that my uncle died at 50 from a heart attack. He was a severe asthmatic as a child but my grandparents had never been able to afford for him to see a doctor or to afford medication. His poor heart was weakened by asthma attacks.

It makes me so angry when people take the NHS for granted and treat it so casually. It's far from perfect but it's a wonderful service when you really need it.

In a nutshell, if you were poor then you just had self treat as best you could and hope for the best. People died young commonly and they died quickly.

If you were wealthy, you stood a better chance in that you could afford to call out a doctor and also had the luxury of being able to rest and recupporate.

Child birth was literally like playing Russian roulette. Infant mortality was shockingly high.

Even for those who could afford doctors and medicines, there were still very limited options and extending well into the early years of the NHS. It was still incredibly basic by today's standards.

My mum had loads of home remedies that she learned from her mother who learned from her mother Enquire Within Upon Everything, and Mrs Beeton have chapters on remedies and treatments. I’m always surprised at how many people’s don’t know any simple home remedies for minor ailments.

My nan had her first 5 children at hime without medical care just another local woman. Her last few a midwife came to her home as the nhs was invented.
My mum remembers the great excitment of all this medical care they just didnt have before.

There's a programme about this on iplayer. I will watch it. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01mytsg

I remember my husband's grandmother telling me that she used to keep a shilling on the mantle piece in case the doctor was needed.
Also that the local women used to deliver the babies as they didn't have midwives.

My Nan was born in 1919 in very rural North Wales. She had 12 siblings altogether but only 5 survived beyond infancy. They were all born at home (including one set of twins) probably with a neighbour to help, but certainly no doctor or midwife .
Good health depended on good luck!

Very few adults had all their own teeth

my grandparents generation (born 1900-1911) were all taken to the `NHS dentist when that started in 1947 and had all their teeth removed and false pair popped in - so they would have been around 40-50 years old with false teeth.

Teeth were a big cause f aches and pains so to have them all removed meant no more pains and false just seemed easier and less trouble

My Nanny told me how her sister gave birth six weeks early and nearly bleed to death

they took in turns to keep my great uncle warm with a hot water bottle and my nanny and her mother would be holding him all the time for the first few weeks

they both survived he grew to be 6’3

my nanny also told me how she had helped a neighbour when she had a miscarriage on more than one occasion (home termination I found out later) she was a passionate supporter of a womens right to have a safe termination as she had seen this poor women suffer

Not as many lived as long to get old age ailments.
A lot of illnesses could not be cured even with a doctor
They wouldn't even be able to diagnose the likes of cancer.
Penicillin wasn't even available until 1945.

My granny caught diphtheria as a child. My great grandmother was widowed in the flu epidemic of the early 20s and money was tight. Doctor thought granny would not live the night and refused to take any payment. Thankfully she lived.

Lollygaggle · Today 20:22
Read The Citadel by AJ Cronin. It's a novel but it's drawn from his own pre war experiences as a doctor. It's about the ethics of medicine and was widely thought to have influenced the foundation of the NHS

Was going to post exactly this.

I'm actually surprised disappointed that the OP had to ask the question 😕

Is social history not taught in schools anymore?

Nasty, Brutish and short comes to mind. For not insignificant numbers