Today, St Mary's Hospital, London is a topic that has captured the attention of people of all ages and backgrounds. Since its emergence, St Mary's Hospital, London has generated increasing interest and has become a central element in the discussion of various aspects of daily life. Whether in the workplace, in education, in politics or in entertainment, St Mary's Hospital, London has proven to be a relevant and current topic that deserves to be analyzed in depth. In this article, we will explore different perspectives on St Mary's Hospital, London and examine its impact on today's society.
The original block of St Mary's Hospital in Norfolk Place was designed by Thomas Hopper in the classical style. It first opened its doors to patients in 1851, the last of the great voluntary hospitals to be founded. Among St Mary's founders was the surgeon Isaac Baker Brown, a controversial figure who performed numerous clitoridectomies at the London Surgical Home, his hospital for women, and who "immediately set to work to remove the clitoris whenever he had the opportunity of doing so." It was at St Mary's Hospital that C.R. Alder Wright first synthesized diamorphine in 1874.
The Clarence Memorial Wing, designed by Sir William Emerson and built with its main frontage on Praed Street, opened in 1904. It was at the hospital that Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928. Fleming's laboratory has been restored and incorporated into a museum about the discovery and his life and work.[note 1]
The private Lindo wing, where there have been several royal and celebrity births, opened in November 1937; it was financed by businessman and hospital board member Frank Charles Lindo, who made a large donation before his death in 1938.
In the 1950s, Felix Eastcott, a consultant surgeon and deputy director of the surgical unit at St Mary's Hospital, carried out pioneering work on carotid endarterectomy designed to reduce the risk of stroke. Paddington General Hospital closed and relocated services to the Paddington basin site in November 1986 and, in common with the other London teaching hospitals who lost their independence at that time, the medical school of St Mary's Hospital merged with that of Imperial College London in 1988.
Wu Lien-teh – later to be the Plague fighter of China
Associations
St Mary's Hospital is located beside London Paddington railway station, the principal station of the Great Western Railway and its successors. In celebration of the association, a British Rail Class 43 (InterCity 125) locomotive, 43142, was named St Mary's Hospital, Paddington on 4 November 1986. The locomotive is still in service but, following changes of ownership, the name has now been removed. One of the large metal nameplates was acquired by the hospital, and is now displayed in the foyer of the Cambridge Wing.
COSMIC is an independent charity, supporting the work of the neonatal and paediatric intensive care services of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London. The charity funds a range of specialist equipment for the units, including ventilators and patient monitoring systems for those being treated on the wards, as well as providing practical and emotional support to families.
^The museum is open to the public from Monday to Thursday from 10am to 1pm and can be visited by appointment outside of these times. The museum is a member of the London Museums of Health & Medicine.