Dr.
Thomas Turner was the house surgeon and apothecary of the Manchester
Workhouse. Dr. Turner was interviewed by Lord Kenyon's House
of Lords Committee on 1st June, 1818.
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Thomas
Turner was interviewed by Lord
Kenyon's House of Lords Committee on 1st
June, 1818.
Question:
During your experience, have you had an opportunity of forming an
estimate of the comparative state of health of the children employed
in cotton-factories and in other occupations?
Answer: I have.
Question: What is the result
of your observation and experience of this subject?
Answer: That persons working in factories enjoy a much better state
of health than weavers, and as good a state as any class of workpeople.
Question: Did you, in the
course of last month, inspect the mills of MaConnell and Kennedy in
Manchester?
Answer: I did.
Question: How many persons
did you find to be employed in that factory?
Answer: 1125.
Question: What appeared
to be the general state of health of those you saw?
Answer: The general appearance was good and healthy.
Question: Do you think it
would benefit a child's health of eight years old to be kept twelve
hours upon his legs?
Answer: I am not prepared to answer that question.
Question: Is your medical
skill so limited that you can form no opinion, whether it would or
would not be injurious?
Answer: It would be a matter of opinion.
Question: I ask your opinion?
Answer: As I have no facts to go by, I do not feel prepared to answer
the question.
Question: Would you think
a child of eight years old being kept fourteen hours upon its legs
without any intermission, would or would not that be dangerous, if
he was kept standing the whole time?
Answer: I think it would be fatiguing; whether the health would be
materially injured by it, I am not prepared to say.
Question: You can form no
opinion whether a child of eight years of age being kept standing
fourteen hours, without intermission, would be injurious to his health
or not?
Answer: I am not prepared to answer.
Question: Would you not
expect that the persons employed in beating cotton, from which a great
quantity of dust and dirt results, would be affected by it?
Answer: I have no reason to think so.
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