Thousands of patients came through the doors of Glasgow's Royal Samaritan Hospital, which was in its heyday the biggest women's hospital in the UK.
In this week's column from Glasgow City Archives, archivist Kate Gauriento delves into the story of this remarkable institution and the women who played a key role in its development.
On May 18, 1895, a large gathering of dignitaries and doctors assembled in the Drill Hall on Coplaw Street.
At quarter to three, they set off in a procession, headed up by a brass band, to the corner of Coplaw Street and Victoria Road and here, in front of a crowd of spectators, Lord Blythswood laid the foundation stone for what would become the largest women’s hospital in the UK.
The Glasgow Samaritan Hospital for Women had begun life nine years earlier, in rented premises on South Cumberland Street.
Records held by Glasgow City Archives show its establishment was spearheaded by a doctor called John Stuart Nairne, who qualified as a doctor in 1872 and served the southside as a GP for more than a decade, during which time he had developed a particular interest in abdominal diseases and gynaecology.
Anticipating the objections which would be made by hospitals such as the Western Infirmary, which had a ward designated for the treatment of female patients, Nairne argued that women’s illnesses could not receive the attention they required within general hospitals, where resources were stretched and space was at a premium.
Women, according to Dr Nairne, needed a peaceful, private environment to recover from ailments “peculiar to their sex.”
The original Samaritan Hospital was small, with a mere three beds, but its ambitions were by no means modest.
According to its constitution, not only would the hospital “provide for the medical and surgical treatment of women afflicted with disease”, it would also “promote the advancement of medical and surgical science with reference to the diseases of women”, in addition to training doctors and nurses in gynaecology and obstetrics.
It is unsurprising, given its lofty ambitions, that the Samaritan Hospital for Women soon outgrew its tight quarters in Hutchesontown.
In 1890, the hospital moved to larger premises in Kingston House on James Street, but the board were clear that the ultimate goal was a purpose-built facility.
The Ladies’ Auxiliary Association, which had been formed in 1887 to raise funds for the hospital, got to work.
Aiming to raise £5000 for the hospital’s building fund, the LAA organised a bazaar in St Andrew’s Halls, to which Glasgow’s wealthy inhabitants were invited and encouraged to spend their money freely.
In return for their cash, attendees were treated to music, theatre, refreshments, and, alarmingly, a “grand waxwork exhibition of 40 figures”. The bazaar met and exceeded its target.
With a decent chunk of the building fund secured, attention could turn to the question of design.
Dr Nairne was adamant that the new hospital should not resemble a general infirmary, with large, impersonal wards.
In Nairne’s view, the principles of privacy and homeliness should be at the heart of the Samaritan’s design, so that its patients, particularly those for whom there was little comfort at home, would be able to properly rest and recover.
READ MORE NOSTALGIA:
-
Famous Glasgow road bridge helped turn this area into city's 'model burgh'
-
The story behind 'ornate' old building in middle of modern Glasgow hospital
The architects, McWhannell and Rogerson, delivered Nairne’s brief.
With its small windows and low profile, the hospital is indeed remarkably domestic in appearance. The Glasgow Samaritan Hospital for Women opened the doors of its bespoke building on the September 9, 1896.
Despite its focus on women’s health, and the key role of the Ladies’ Auxiliary Association, it would be another three years before women were elected to the hospital’s board, with some reluctance on the part of the directors.
At a meeting of the board in March 1900, Mrs Kilpatrick and Mrs Cameron Corbett joined the directorship.
Alice Cameron Corbett sadly did not enjoy a long tenure in her new position. In 1902, she died suddenly following a short illness, at the age of 34.
Following her daughter’s death, Corbett’s mother, Mary Polson, donated £15,000 to the hospital for the construction of a nurses’ home, which was opened in 1907 as the Alice Mary Corbett Memorial Nurses’ Home.
With this new wing, the Glasgow Samaritan Hospital for Women became the largest women’s hospital in the UK.
That same year, the hospital was granted a royal charter, and changed its name to the Royal Samaritan Hospital for Women.
Share