Lost_Hospitals_of

VOLUNTARY HOSPITALS

ISOLATION (INFECTIOUS DISEASES) HOSPITALS

The first voluntary isolation hospital for smallpox and infectious diseases opened in 1802, eventually becoming the London Fever Hospital. Following the establishment of the Metropolitan Asylums Board in 1867, smallpox and isolation (fever) hospitals greatly increased in number.

The Isolation Hospitals Act, 1893, enabled County Councils to build isolation hospitals or to compel their local authorities to do so. Municipal isolation hospitals were large, typically comprising parallel rows of detached ward blocks linked by a covered walkway.

The development of antibiotics - sulphomanides became available in 1935, penicillin in 1944 and streptomycin in 1947 - led to the closure of many of these hospitals after WW2, although some were adapted for other purposes (usually for the care of geriatric patients).

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LOST HOSPITALS OF LONDON
	A brief history of healthcare provision in London

	VOLUNTARY HOSPITALS ISOLATION (INFECTIOUS DISEASES) HOSPITALS The first voluntary isolation hospital for smallpox and infectious diseases opened in 1802, eventually becoming the London Fever Hospital. Following the establishment of the Metropolitan Asylums Board in 1867, smallpox and isolation (fever) hospitals greatly increased in number. The Isolation Hospitals Act, 1893, enabled County Councils to build isolation hospitals or to compel their local authorities to do so. Municipal isolation hospitals were large, typically comprising parallel rows of detached ward blocks linked by a covered walkway. The development of antibiotics - sulphomanides became available in 1935, penicillin in 1944 and streptomycin in 1947 - led to the closure of many of these hospitals after WW2, although some were adapted for other purposes (usually for the care of geriatric patients). Next section: Specialist hospitals Previous section: Cottage hospitals Return to Contents list
	References Currie M 2004 Fever Hospitals and Fever Nurses. London, Routledge.
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