From Hotel to Hospital

FROM HOTEL TO HOSPITAL Hospitality, shelter, foreigners, strangers; all these words bring the meaning hotel to mind. At first, that is exactly what a hospital was. The word ‘hospital’ derives from the Latin word ‘hospes’ meaning guest. Gradually these places catered to the aged and sick, and a variety of institutions came into being. During the Medieval period people started to realize the need for social assistance for sickness or other mishaps. From the Muslim …

…hotels to the transformation to hospitals, it is no exaggeration to describe the development of the hospital as one of the great public health achievements of the Middle Ages. Because of the progress of these institutions during the Medieval period, doctors are now more capable of helping and curing the sick community today. The medical breakthroughs that have occurred during the last ten years all date back to the beginning of those so called “hotels.”