For over 24 years, Janet B Quilloy has dedicated her life to working as a nurse, in which time she has built an enormous amount of experience. For her, working in a hospital means that no two days are ever the same, as new patients and new illnesses are constantly appearing and disappearing. This changing environment is a common thread that is likely to have been the case since the very first hospitals were conceived by civilization all those millenniums ago. The word “hospital” comes from the Latin word meaning “guest”. The words “hostel” and “hotel” have the same root word, though of course, the modern day meanings are very different- but the link is clear to see.
Ancient Egypt is often credited as being the first society to bring about the modern idea of what a hospitable is and can be. They were temples dedicated to healing the sick, and would have been closely linked to the religious practices of the time also. Doctors and religious leaders would have been similar professions, and many would have dedicated their lives to cultivating remedies to treat illnesses. In ancient Greece, similar structures were built, dedicated to Asclepius, the god of healing- and would have operated in much the same way as the Ancient Egyptian temples. In India, around A.D. 400, places were built for the sick, and the disabled to receive money, food, and medical care from well-wishers and other philanthropists with money to give. They would remain in these buildings until they were healed and could be sure not to spread infection, and leave when they felt better of chose to. It was in India that arguably they constructed then the first true hospitals as we see them today. They were built specifically for the treatment of injuries and illnesses, and to provide women with a place to give birth and recover from afterwards.
Christianity and its development into the recognized religious of Europe also played a huge part in the formation of modern hospitals. As Christian values propagated the need to look after the sick and take of the weak, as Jesus had taught, more hospital like structures were erected, especially those that had a separate section to house lepers, as the disease was widely feared in those days. The Romans took their learning and ideas across Europe, and helped establish the foundations of the hospitals and moral universe that we live in today.
Ancient Egypt is often credited as being the first society to bring about the modern idea of what a hospitable is and can be. They were temples dedicated to healing the sick, and would have been closely linked to the religious practices of the time also. Doctors and religious leaders would have been similar professions, and many would have dedicated their lives to cultivating remedies to treat illnesses. In ancient Greece, similar structures were built, dedicated to Asclepius, the god of healing- and would have operated in much the same way as the Ancient Egyptian temples. In India, around A.D. 400, places were built for the sick, and the disabled to receive money, food, and medical care from well-wishers and other philanthropists with money to give. They would remain in these buildings until they were healed and could be sure not to spread infection, and leave when they felt better of chose to. It was in India that arguably they constructed then the first true hospitals as we see them today. They were built specifically for the treatment of injuries and illnesses, and to provide women with a place to give birth and recover from afterwards.
Christianity and its development into the recognized religious of Europe also played a huge part in the formation of modern hospitals. As Christian values propagated the need to look after the sick and take of the weak, as Jesus had taught, more hospital like structures were erected, especially those that had a separate section to house lepers, as the disease was widely feared in those days. The Romans took their learning and ideas across Europe, and helped establish the foundations of the hospitals and moral universe that we live in today.
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