General Dispensary, Aldersgate Street
The General Dispensary, Aldersgate Street, was a London dispensary which provided outpatient treatment and home-visiting for sick adults and children.
Background
By 1700, a few London dispensaries were opened and endorsed by the Royal College of Physicians when a number of physicians returned after the fire of London after fleeing London from the Great Plague of 1665 and when an increasing number of apothecaries were treating the poor, resulting in competition. The situation changed after the Rose case. Eighteenth century London witnessed not just a building boom and extension of the city boundaries, but also a steep rise in poverty. By the end of the century, birth rates exceeded death rates and the population of London was 675,000 in the early part of the century and 900,000 in 1801. Public money spent on the poor increased disproportionately to the rise in population and reliance was put upon medical relief from private voluntary associations and philanthropy. In addition, the number of London hospitals increased but treatment was confined to within their walls and an unmet need for outpatient care of the poor contributed to the rise of the London dispensary.Origins
Following the popular dispensary opened within the Royal College of Physicians building at Warwick Lane and despite its closure in 1725, around 100 men provided the influence to create the General dispensary at Aldersgate street.The dispensary was situated at 36 Aldersgate Street, a building that had been built for the Marquis of Dorchester and subsequently became "Dorchester House". It later became the City of London Lying-in Hospital before being used as dispensary.
It was founded in 1770 and opened by John Coakley Lettsom.
James Sims was one of the physicians.