We don't know who wrote the nursery rhyme 'Miss Polly Had A Dolly' but it is thought to date back to the earliest 19th century if not before. It is usually sung by parents to sick children, or as a children's song at school
And it is a gentle reminder of a time before the NHS.
'Miss Polly Had A Dolly' lyrics
Miss Polly had a dolly who was sick, sick, sick. So she phoned for the doctor to come quick, quick, quick. The doctor came with his bag and his hat, And knocked at the door with a rat-a-tat-tat.
He looked at the dolly and shook his head, And said “Miss Polly put her straight to bed. He wrote a paper for a pill, pill, pill. I’ll be back in the morning with the bill, bill, bill.