The Antiquity Of Hospitals

Many centuries before the Christian era there existed in India and Ceylon institutions which performed the functions of hospitals (Real-Encyclopadie, Eulenburg). They were built and maintained by the Buddhists. In the Scripture there is a mention of what the Hebrews called Bethesda, but this was nothing more than a few rude huts in the neighborhood of a mineral spring supposed to have healing properties. According to Lecky ("History of European Morals"), the first hospital was founded by a Roman lady named Fabiola, about the fourth century, at Rome. Soon after another hospital was founded by St. Pammachus, and another by St. Basil at Caesarea. During the crusades numerous hospitals arose in all parts of Europe. San Spiritu, built by Innocent III., was erected in 1204 at Rome. The first hospital in England was built by Lanfranc, archbishop of Canterbury, in 1080. The first hospital of any size erected in America was the Pennsylvania hospital in Philadelphia, begun in 1751 by Dr. Bond and Benjamin Franklin.-Philadelphia Medical Journal.