Metropolitan Asylums Board facts for kids
The Metropolitan Asylums Board (MAB) was an important group set up in London to help people who were sick and poor. It started in 1867 because of a law called the Metropolitan Poor Act 1867. The MAB stopped working in 1930. Its jobs were then taken over by the London County Council, which was like London's main government at the time.
Why Was the MAB Created?
The MAB was created after some famous people, like Florence Nightingale and Edwin Chadwick, pushed for changes. They were worried about sick and poor people living in crowded places called workhouses. There were also sad stories about people dying in these workhouses.
In 1866, a leader named Mr. Gathorne Hardy sent doctors to check on London's workhouses. They wanted to find out how to make things better. A big concern was that people with serious illnesses, like smallpox, or those with mental health issues, needed special hospitals. They shouldn't be kept in workhouses.
What Areas Did the MAB Cover?
The MAB looked after an area called the Metropolitan Asylums District. This area included most of London, as defined by an older law from 1855. However, a small village called Penge was not part of this district.
What Did the MAB Do?
Even though it was called the "Asylums Board," the MAB did not mainly deal with mental health care. Over its lifetime, the MAB opened about 40 different places to help people.
It started by opening three hospitals for people with infectious diseases like smallpox and fevers. It also opened two large places for people with severe learning difficulties. These places were sometimes called 'imbecile' asylums back then.
See also
- Leavesden Hospital
- South Eastern Hospital
