484 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



With all these institutions builded by popes, bishops, monks and 

 crusaders, it would seem too soon to look for city hospitals. Yet very 

 many such arose after the first crusade. Eastern commerce flowing 

 in the wake of the crusaders, an increased national wealth and an 

 increased population furnished both the resources for and the need of 

 municipal and privately endowed institutions. Privately endowed hos- 

 pitals are found first in Italy, and during the twelfth century Monza 

 had three and Milan eleven such institutions. During the fourteenth 

 century Florence had thirty private foundations. Some of the founders 

 were notable people; the Santa Maria Annunziata in Florence was 

 founded by Falco Portinari, father of Dante's Beatrice, and one of the 

 Milan institutions by the Duke Francesco Sforza. In Germany during 

 this period fifty-two city hospitals existed, sixteen being situated in 

 Cologne, the remainder in about thirty smaller cities, the names of 

 which are enumerated by Virchow. 8 



Various abuses began to creep into hospital administration during 

 this period of prosperity which later caused trouble to ecclesiastical 

 authorities, until some of the hospitals, while still conducted by re- 

 ligions orders, were placed under civil authority, the church still paying 

 for their maintenance. In Italy, toward the end of the middle ages, 

 this tendency grew more marked ; in France it came considerably later, 

 although the same conditions existed. It was in the fifteenth century 

 that the Hotel Dieu showed such gross mismanagement that the eccle- 

 siastical chapter of Notre Dame, feeling its inefficiency to cope with the 

 situation, requested the civil authorities to take over the hospital (April, 

 1505). It was thereafter managed by a board of eight trustees. 



The ancient hospitals in Great Britain and France were for a long 

 time under the control of the monastic orders. According to Harduin, 

 a large hospital was founded at St. Albans in a.d. 861. Alcuin, the 

 great scholar, who afterwards was called to the court of Charlemagne 

 to preside over the School of the Palace, wrote to the Archbishop of 

 York (796), and urged the foundation of hospitals for the poor and 

 for pilgrims. The oldest hospital existing to-day as a foundation is 

 St. Bartholomew's in London. This was established in the twelfth 

 century by Eahere, at one time a jester to King Henry I., who later 

 joined a religious community and secured a grant of land near London. 

 Until its disestablishment under Henry VIII. this was the leading 

 London hospital. St. Thomas' hospital, founded in 1215 by Peter, 

 bishop of Winchester, suffered a similar fate, but was reestablished by 

 Edward VI. Among other important hospitals of London belonging 

 to the thirteenth century were Bethlehem, which later became an insane 

 asylum and had its name contracted to Bedlam, Christ's Hospital and 

 the Bridewell, the latter later becoming a prison and the former a school. 



8 Virchow, "Abhandl.," Vol. II., 16. See footnote 10. 



