Publisher's Synopsis
The hospital today is seen as the pinnacle of medical care, incorporating advanced machinery, devoted staff and dedicated doctors, yet it is sometimes castigated as wasteful and interventionist. Even so, the hospital has become central to the medical care of rich and poor alike, but this was not always the case. "The Hospital in History" casts light on what the hospital meant at different times and places over its history. Various historians have contributed essays which range from the medieval and Renaissance periods to the Enlightenment and the modern era, and from Europe to the USA. They examine not only the attitudes of patients and medical staff but also the culture and aims of those who paid for the hospital - whether governors or government. The authors look at the relationship between the hospital, state, church and society, the importance of philanthropists, the impact of industrialization and specialization, and the development of modern institutions.;These essays challenge traditional views in a field which is just beginning to be thoroughly explored, filling a large gap in our understanding of hospitals and the provision of health care in society over time.
