Fonds MS-13-84 - Halifax Visiting Dispensary fonds

Halifax Relief Commission

Title and statement of responsibility area

Title proper

Halifax Visiting Dispensary fonds

General material designation

  • Textual record

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Level of description

Fonds

Reference code

MS-13-84

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Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)

Dates of creation area

Date(s)

  • 1882-1966 (Creation)

Physical description area

Physical description

120 cm of textual records

Publisher's series area

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Archival description area

Name of creator

(1856-)

Administrative history

The Halifax Visiting Dispensary (HVD) was established in 1856 in response to the need for free and subsidized medical services for low-income individuals and families. Regarded as a "red feather" agency—a privately sponsored charitable organization—it was financed by private donations, endowment funds, Halifax and Dartmouth city grants, and the community chest. The dispensary operated out of a clinic on Brunswick Street, with the city morgue situated in the building's basement, and provided specialized services for the treatment of women and children, as well as daily medical and surgical clinics and weekly dental, eye, ear, nose and throat clinics. The dispensary also provided medical services and drugs for diseases such as diabetes, arthritis, scarlet fever, typhoid fever, diphtheria, small pox and consumption. A rotating staff of physicians offered home visits.

In 1924 the dispensary moved into the newly built Dalhousie University Public Health Clinic, which took over the medical and surgical work, while the dispensary continued to distribute prescriptions and surgical supplies. The dispensary remained a separate organization, with its own board of directors and a staff of two—a registered druggist and a certified clerk. Visiting physicians were reimbursed for their work through the dispensary's funds.

Custodial history

Records were donated to the Dalhousie University Archives in four accessions: Col. Samuel R. Balcom donated records in 1975; the custodial history of the 1987 and 2005 accessions are unknown; and the 2012 accession was donated by Leslie Pezzack.

Scope and content

Fonds consists of correspondence, financial records, and administrative records such as annual reports and inventories.

Notes area

Physical condition

Immediate source of acquisition

Arrangement

Fonds is arranged into six series:
Annual Reports; Administrative records; Financial records; Correspondence; Patient information; and Publicity.

Records are arranged chronologically within series where possible, unless otherwise noted.

Language of material

  • English

Script of material

Language and script note

English

Location of originals

Availability of other formats

Restrictions on access

Patient records and personal information in the following files are closed: 1-10, 2-5, 2-22, 2-23, 2-24, 3-1, 3-4, 3-10, 3-27, 3-28, 3-29, 4-12.
All other materials are open for research.

Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication

Materials do not circulate and must be used in the Archives and Special Collections Reading Room. Materials may be under copyright. Contact departmental staff for guidance on reproduction.

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Accruals

Further accruals are possible, but not expected.

General note

Preferred citation: [Identification of item], Halifax Visiting Dispensary fonds, MS-13-84, Box [box number], Folder [folder number], Dalhousie University Archives, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

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