The Infirmary Ward

Inside the Workhouse Infirmaries of the 1800’s

The Infirmary Ward takes readers inside the workhouse infirmaries of 19th-century England and Wales, where sickness and poverty collided under the Poor Law.

Drawing on official records, inspection reports, and contemporary accounts, this book explores how care was delivered to the poorest and most vulnerable: the sick, the elderly, women in childbirth, children, and those deemed “incurable.” It examines daily life in the wards, medical treatment, nursing, diet, discipline, and the moral assumptions that shaped who deserved comfort and who did not.

More than a history of medicine, The Infirmary Ward reveals how suffering was organised by policy — and what these institutions still teach us about care, power, and dignity.