Hospitals appear to have been unknown among the ancients. Little provision, if any, was made for the care even of the wounded on the field of battle. The Greek and Roman armies had no medical staff. The monasteries set apart a room for the sick. The modern hospital is an outgrowth of this custom. At the time of the English Reformation the monks were in charge of the hospital service of the kingdom. This branch of the monastery was retained in several instances and grew into a large establishment. It became, we may say, fashionable for wealthy men to endow hospitals. In England a common term for both dispensaries and hospitals is "infirmary."
The ancient Greeks are said to have been treated by Aesculapius at Epidaurus. The early Jews had houses for healing, one of them being Beth Saida, spoken of in the New Testament. The growth of Christianity gave a great Impetus to all forms of charity, and from the service of the monks in caring for the sick slowly grew the present admirable system of hospital work.
The first hospitals in Europe were established in the Middle Ages
