A short history of the Bristol Royal Infirmary : founded 1735 : King Edward VII Memorial, opened by his majesty the king, accompanied by her majesty the queen, June 28th, 1912.

Date:
1912
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A short history of the Bristol Royal Infirmary : founded 1735 : King Edward VII Memorial, opened by his majesty the king, accompanied by her majesty the queen, June 28th, 1912. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    in 1912 forty-seven medical men are on the Staff, thirty-nine of whom are in regular attendance at the Institution. This first Infirmary was soon found to be too small for the demands made upon it, and in 1739 additional rooms were built and furnished. In the following year a new ward was opened, and several necessary offices added to the establishment. In the year 1749 the Infirmary consisted of a centre and one wing, containing six wards all properly equipped and furnished with iron bedsteads, and on September 5th of this year (1749) a new wing was begun, and for the first time the motto “ Charity Universal’”’ was painted in gold letters over the entrance. Many other alterations and additions were made, and under the guidance of different Treasurers the Bristol Infirmary carried on its benevolent work until the year 1782. By this time the Institution was widely known and popular, and every week deserving patients had to be refused admittance for want of room. The wards were over-crowded, and Typhus, then called “ Hospital” or ‘“Gaol”’ Fever, frequently appeared. In fact, in the space of ten years four resident Apothecaries and one of the Physicians, besides several of the Nurses, died of this complaint. It was decided, therefore, to destroy the old house and erect a new one, and in 1783 the work of demolition and rebuilding began. The new Infirmary consisted of a central portion and two wings, and the first stone of the east wing was laid on June 2nd, 1784; that of the central portion on June 24th, 1788. The west wing was not completed until the year 1814, so that the present Infirmary took thirty years to build. The number of patients and the general usefulness of the Institution steadily increased. In 1830 it was decided to build an out-patient department at the back of the house, and in this way two rooms hitherto used for out-patients became available for ward purposes. The marriage of Her Majesty Queen Victoria with His Royal Highness Prince Albert was considered an auspicious occasion on which to open these two wards. An appeal was made to the public, and on June 3rd, 1841, these wards, the “ Victoria ’’ and the “‘ Albert,’’ were formally opened. In 1850 Her Majesty Queen Victoria gave the Committee permission to call the Charity the Bristol ‘“ Royal ”’ Infirmary. In 1859 a Chapel was built ; this was due to the liberality and efforts of a former Treasurer, Mr. J. S. Harford. “ The Museum, which was erected to contain the specimens left to the Institution by the two Richard Smiths and Mr. Lowe, was opened by the Senior Physician, Dr. Budd, in 1860. In 1867 a series of dormitories was built for the Nurses ; this necessitated the formation of a new story, which is now used for some of the Special Depart- ments. The Nurses are now established in a well-appointed and commodious ‘“ Home” adjacent to the new Infirmary. IO
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