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A '''hospital''' is a health facility where [[patient]]s receive care, by trained doctors, nurses and other professionals.
A '''hospital''' is a health facility where [[patient]]s receive care, by trained doctors, nurses and other professionals.
==Ancient==
In ancient history, hospitals were institutions where the sick of the community could be brought for treatment; typically they were connected with religion. One Greek sanctuary was dedicated to Aesculapius (Asclepius), the Greek god of medicine, as early as 1134 BC. ''Aesculapia'', as such institutions came to be called, spread throughout Greece.
In India, around 600 BC, the [[Buddha]] established a medical network of physicians on the village level, and hospitals for the crippled, the ill, and pregnant women.
==Medieval==
==Medieval==
Emperor [[Constantine]] in 335 AD closed the Greek and Roman aesculapia and encouraged the building of Christian hospitals. They were operated by monasteries (of men) and convents (of women) but were located outside the church buildings themselves. They focused on providing care for the poor, the old, and orphans. The main therapy was rest.
The Hôtel-Dieu in Paris, founded in 660 AD, is the oldest hospital still in use. The advent of the [[Crusades]] after 1100 led to the growth of ''hospitia'', rest places for Crusaders and other travelers. Built next to monasteries, they provided food, lodgings, and medical care to pilgrims and other travelers.
In medieval Europe, many hospitals were founded by Christian religious orders such as the [[Knights of St. John]].
In medieval Europe, many hospitals were founded by Christian religious orders such as the [[Knights of St. John]].
In Florence, Italy, the most active period for hospital foundation beginning in the mid-thirteenth century was linked to population growth. Specialized hospitals served a variety of different groups, such as women, religious pilgrims, the old, the destitute, etc. As civic authorites worried more and more about contageous diseases and epidemics, the priority shifted to the medical treatment of the sick poor. Most new hospitals were created by philanthropic local bankers and businessmen, but the city oversaw hospitals, perceiving them as socially useful institutions both for assisting and for controlling the poor. The number, size, and facilities of Florence's hospitals, and the beauty of their buildings, became a source of frequently expressed civic pride.
In Florence, Italy, the most active period for hospital foundation beginning in the mid-thirteenth century was linked to population growth. Specialized hospitals served a variety of different groups, such as women, religious pilgrims, the old, the destitute, etc. As civic authorites worried more and more about contageous diseases and epidemics, the priority shifted to the medical treatment of the sick poor. Most new hospitals were created by philanthropic local bankers and businessmen, but the city oversaw hospitals, perceiving them as socially useful institutions both for assisting and for controlling the poor. The number, size, and facilities of Florence's hospitals, and the beauty of their buildings, became a source of frequently expressed civic pride.
No concept of hygiene existed before the 19th century. The Hôtel-Dieu, for example, housed up to six patients in the same bed, with no attempt made to isolate those with contagious diseases.
==Science==
==Science==
Hospital care has improved greatly over earlier times due to the work of [[Louis Pasteur]] on germ theory and [[Joseph Lister]] who implemented [[antiseptic]] cleaning.
Hospital care has improved greatly over earlier times due to the work of [[Louis Pasteur]] on germ theory and [[Joseph Lister]] who implemented [[antiseptic]] cleaning.