Article
Hospital Architecture
From the 17th century until about 1900, hospitals in what is now Canada were unspecialized, multi-purpose institutions for the sick poor. Until around 1900 those able to pay doctors preferred to be treated at home. The first hospitals emerged in places where people were unable to get medical treatment by physicians in their own homes. The financial sources and social mandates of hospitals have varied widely over the past 400 years. The earliest hospitals included military and marine hospitals, as well as Roman Catholic and then Protestant benevolent institutions. By the turn of the 20th century, the administration of scientific medicine was the major purpose of the Canadian hospital. Since about 1970, hospitals have become increasingly specialized; structurally they have become flexible and expandable.
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