Faculdade de Ciências Médicas/NOVA Medical School/UNL. CHLC, Dona Estefânia Hospital Lisbon. Portugal.
- Comunicação oral. 46th Congress of International Society for the History of Medicina (ISHM). Lisboa, 3-7 Setembro 2018
- Publicação sob forma de resumo. Livro de resumos do 46th Congress of ISHM.
Dona Estefânia Hospital is the first Paediatric Hospital in Portugal and after the earthquake of 1755, the first building for hospital propose. Estefânia Hoenzolern Sigmarigen married Pedro V when he was already King of Portugal. Both had a high sensitivity for education, poverty and people. They used to visit patients in the hospitals where Estefânia watched children staying with adults in the same room giving her the idea of building a hospital for sick and poor children. After her death, 14 months after arrival, Pedro founded the hospital in 1860 and started to work in the plan. European paediatric hospitals were visited. The plan of Humbert, architect of the Royal English House, was adopted. Details were discussed between Pedro and Queen´s Vitoria husband, Prince Albert. Asked about the project Florence Nightingale given a positive opinion. The place was part of the former Casa do Infantado, the Portuguese Princes House. The hospital was open in 1877 by Luís, Pedro´s brother. At that time Lisbon had several epidemics and hospitals were short of beds. So the hospital was destined to sick women. However, owever, aaccording to the King´s request one nursery was always reserved for children. As the time passed by adults were gone and children took their place. In the decade of 1950 it was decided to increase one level in the main building to increase the number of beds to 380. The hospital acquired the actual shape and was provided with modern equipment and a meeting room. Dona Estefânia hospital is an important mark in the History of Portuguese Medicine. It was the birthplace of Paediatrics and the house of the first Full Professor of Paediatrics, Salazar de Sousa. In 1969 it turned the first Mother and Child Health Care facility in Portugal housing a maternity in there, closed in 2012.
Keywords: Paediatric hospitals, nineteen century