Diana Carolina Hospital for Children
| Diana Carolina Hospital for Children | |
|---|---|
Hospitale Puerorum Dianae Carolinae |
At nearly 300 years old, The Diana Carolina Hospital for Children' is a children's hospital in Paradise City. Founded in 1670 by Empress Diana Carolina, the hospital was established as a center for the study of childhood diseases and a refuge for sick or orphaned children. In addition to hospital staff Diana employed scientists from The Diana Carolina Academy of Science to research the conditions of the children in hopes of finding treatments or cures. After the death of Diana Carolina, the hospital remained operational to the present, closing only briefly in 1850 for expansion.
History
1600s - 1850
The first children were admitted to The Diana Carolina Hospital for Children on May 15, 1670. At this time the hospital contained 35 beds, a garden, a pharmacy, 4 wet nurses, and 3 physicians from The Diana Carolina Academy of Science. Any children under five were assigned a wet nurse to attend to their daily needs, and the youngest children would be sent home with their wet nurse to ensure proper care. Wet nurses that provided this service were carefully monitored with Diana often requesting surprise inspections of their homes. Children over five remained at the hospital full-time unless a special exception was made. Diana Carolina herself took an interest in ensuring the safety of the hospital and would often come on surprise visits during which she would request detailed tours of the facilities. She would often interview some of the children on these tours to ensure they were receiving proper treatment.
Until the program was stopped in 1830 due to lack of resources, orphaned children were offered apprenticeships when they came of age often ending with them being offered jobs. At the age of sixteen girls were offered three-year apprenticeships as artists, wet nurses, caretakers, seamstresses, or servants. Boys were offered five-year apprenticeships at the age of fourteen in various occupations including medicine, science, art, and architecture. Children who had parents were able to be reclaimed upon recovery.
1850 - 1930
Despite their efforts the hospital soon became overcrowded, so in 1850 the hospital purchased the surrounding properties and began construction on the first expansion. During this time the hospital closed its doors to new patients but maintained operating at partial capacity to care for current patients. Once construction was complete they moved their old patients to the new building and began accepting new patients again at a limited capacity. By 1852 the hospital housed 200 beds and 50 physicians across its two buildings.
1930 - Present
In 1935 the hospital began to establish its first specialized departments. These included The Department of Infectious Diseases, an Oncology Department, and a mental health department. They would continue to expand the number of departments in 1960 with the addition of a neonatal intensive care unit and a burn unit. The hospital remains affiliated with The Diana Carolina Academy of Science through their research and residency programs. They presently employ a large portion of the academy’s graduates. Today the hospital provides care to thousands of patients annually utilizing its 22 departments, 550 beds, and 298 physicians.