St. Bartholomew’s Hospital: A Nine-Century Legacy of Care and Innovation

St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, located in Smithfield, London, stands as one of the oldest hospitals in the world, with a rich history that spans nearly nine centuries. Founded in 1123 by Rahere, an Augustinian monk and former courtier of Henry I, the hospital was established alongside the Priory of St. Bartholomew. The Augustinian canons performed daily liturgies and commemorated the founders with prayers, while resident nurses and secular chaplains tended to the physical and spiritual needs of the poor, infirm, and unmarried pregnant women. The hospital also served as a sanctuary for orphans and operated a grammar school.

In 1546, Henry VII granted the hospital to the City of London, ensuring its continuation by endowing it with property for income just before his death in 1547. This endowment marked the beginning of a new era for the hospital. Thomas Vicary, the first superintendent, was a significant figure in early medical literature, notably for his work on anatomy. The hospital's reputation for medical excellence was further cemented with the appointment of its first physician in 1562. In the early 17th century, William Harvey, who discovered the circulation of blood, oversaw patient care at the hospital, which then had a capacity of 200 beds and a small medical staff, including three surgeons, an apothecary, and several Augustinian nuns.

The hospital continued to evolve, and with the creation of the National Health Service (NHS) in 1948, it officially became known as St. Bartholomew's Hospital. Today, it remains a vital part of the NHS, providing cutting-edge medical care while retaining its historical significance. The hospital's long history reflects its enduring commitment to healthcare and its ability to adapt and thrive through centuries of change, from medieval times to the modern era.
St. Bartholomew’s Hospital: A Nine-Century Legacy of Care and Innovation

Early History of King College School of Medicine

King College was founded in 1828. The foundation of the University marks the beginning of the story of medicine in the King College, London.

King College was incorporated by royal charter 14th August 1829 a a college for the general education of youth in which the college the various branches of literature and science are intended to be taught.

Medical Department was established in 1831. In the Medical Department all the usual branches of medical science are taught. The charter granted although it had at first no associate hospital.

Set up as a non denominational university, University College London established its own hospital in 1834, which become linked to its medical school.

At that time only two medical school in London. Hospitals of Guy’s and St. Bartholomew.

Particularly there was the usual course in anatomy and physiology and Mayo was appointed Professor and he appointed Richard Partridge as his demonstrator, for the dissecting room.

Robert Bentley Todd, was responsible for physiology and pathology. By his effort King’s College was opened links were formed between lecturing posts in the medical school and clinical posts in the hospital.
Early History of King College School of Medicine

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine is a division of the University of London.

In 1899, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, headed by Sir Patrick Manson, now known as the father of tropical medicine, opened its door.

Born in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, on the 3rd October 1844, the son of a banker, he was educated at Aberdeen and Edinburgh, completing his medical degree before the age of 21. Patrick Manson had served as medical officer in Formosa, Amoy and Hong Kong.

He return to England in the 1890s and began lectures in Tropical medicine at Livingston College.

Sir Patrick Manson was instrumental in showing that malaria was transmitted by mosquitoes.

His work on ‘Mosquito Manson’ in China in the 1870s and his manual on Tropical Diseases in 1898 led to great advances in the control of malaria and yellow fever.

When he was appointed medical adviser to the Secretary of State for the Colonies in 1897, he urged Colonial Secretary Joseph Chamberlain to create specializing in tropical medicine.

He used his position and his energy to establish, in conjunction with the Seaman’s Hospital on the Lower Thames, the London School of Tropical Medicine and on the 3rd October 1899 on Manson’s birthday the first class met.

In 1924, the Rockefeller Foundation donated $2,000,000 band the school was renamed London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

After five years of planning and building, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine opened officially on July 18 1929, and it was here that the ultimate stage of epidemiological science consolidated its twentieth-century concern with diseases beyond the obvious infectious ones, now rapidly coming under control.

The first director was Sir Andrew Balfour who had for nearly twenty years directed the research in tropical medicine sponsored by Henry Wellcome. The school is now located in 35 acre tract near the British Museum.
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine