Green’s Dictionary of Slang

in hospital being treated for a venereal disease; often as laid up in...

c.1786		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue ms. additions n.p.: Job’s Dock, he’s laid up in Job’s Dock, i.e. in a Salivation, the appartments in St Bartholemews Hospital for the foul patients is called Job’s Ward.
1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue (2nd, 3rd edn) n.p.: He is laid up in Job’s dock; i.e. in a salivation. The apartments for the foul or venereal patients in St. Bartholomew’s hospital, are called Job’s ward.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum [as cit. 1788].
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue [as cit. 1788].
1859		Matsell Vocabulum 47: job’s dock An hospital. ‘The poor cove is in Job’s dock,’ the poor fellow is in the hospital.
[1888–94		‘Walter’ My Secret Life (1966) VII 1443: That woman’s been laid up with the pox].
1895		C. Crowe Aus. Sl. Dict. 40: Job’s Dock, an hospital.