480 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



appearance came the university — so long, in fact, that the statement that 

 the origin of the hospital owed much, if anything, to science is dis- 

 proved chronologically. And this, too, without in the least minimizing 

 the influence of the great medieval schools, such as Salerno and Mont- 

 pellier, upon the hospitals of the middle ages. 



But now to consider in brief detail the hospitals of early Christian 

 era. We must first give our attention to the east, where the conversion 

 of Constantine gave an impetus to the spread of Christian religion. 

 Eatsinger 4 asserts that a hospital was established at Constantinople by 

 St. Zoticus during the reign of the first Christian emperor, but his 

 authority for this statement is mythical. We have, however, document- 

 ary proof in the writings of St. Gregory, 5 of Nazianus — whose brother ; 

 by the way, was a physician — of the establishment of a hospital by St. 

 Basil at Csesarea, in Cappadocia (a.d. 369). 



According to Gregory, it was a veritable city with streets separating 

 pavilions for various diseases and also workshops, industrial schools, 

 convalescent homes and residences for attendants, nurses and physicians. 



Indeed, the plan seems not unlike our most modern pavilion sys- 

 tem; the ancient writer waxes enthusiastic in his praise of it, declaring 

 it to be " a heaven upon earth." 



Alexandria boasted a hospital in 610, founded by St. John the Alms- 

 giver, and at about this same time Bishop Brassianus established one 

 at Ephesus. Contemporaneous was the foundation in Constantinople 

 of three hospitals, one by St. John Chrysostom, one by St. Pulcheria, 

 sister of the Emperor Theodosius II., and one by St. Sampson. Thirty- 

 five hospitals were erected in this one eastern city alone before the 

 tenth century, according to the Constantinopolis Christiana of Du 

 Cange. An orphanotrophium was established in the tenth century by 

 Alexis I., and the Hospital of the Forty Martyrs by Isum II. in the 

 eleventh century. Such was the influence of these Eastern institutions 

 that we find their Greek terminology influencing the names of early 

 institutions of the west. In all the writings of later days concerning 

 hospitals a house for sick people is called a "noscomium," for found- 

 lings a "orphanotrophium," etc. Perhaps one of the best proofs we 

 have of the activity of the Christians in hospital building is the fact 

 that the Emperor Julian, called the Apostate, decreed that hospitals 

 should be built to offset the influence of similar institutions which the 

 Christians had inaugurated. 



St. Jerome 6 tells us of the hospital builded by Fabiola in Eome 

 during the fifth century. Fabiola, a wealthy Roman lady, is probably 

 our first Christian philanthropist. Pope Symmachus (495-514) built 



4 Ratsinger, "Gesch. d. kirehlichen Armenpflege" (Freiburg, 1884). 

 5 ' ' Patres, ' ' Migne. 

 6 "Patres Lat,, " Migne. 



