['Charitable brothers' in charge of hospitals in early modern times: The hospital in Linz/Austria and its patients up to c. 1780].

Abstract

The article deals with the history of the Hospital of the Brothers of St. John of God (in German: "Barmherzige Brüder"; official name "Ordo Hospitalarius Sancti Joannis a Deo") in the capital of Upper Austria, Linz, from its founding in 1757 to c. 1780. Primarily, the organisational development and the patients of the institute are discussed. The order's hospital already functioned as a medical hospital for the treatment of acute diseases: It was oriented towards the reestablishment of health of its inmates during short time and offered treatment by a staff of learned medical experts, among them academically trained physicians. The accommodation of the patients yet took place in a largely undifferentiated manner, as most of them were situated in a large common hall. This was obviously a consequence of the comparatively little capacity of the organisation, too, which sustained about 12 beds in the beginning, and about 20 around 1780. Nonetheless, the number of patients treated there summed up to nearly 1% of the entire male population of Upper Austria even during the first decade of its existence. In early modern time, only men were admitted to this hospital, the average age of them being only ca. 30 years. As far as social status is concerned, most of them (according to a representative sample out of the admissions of 1757-1767) were handicraftsmen (more than two thirds), labourers and servants. Thus, the organisation was obviously destined to broad social strata, but by no way displays itself as a poorhouse. Average annual mortality was 10 to 13%, which is comparable to that of other hospitals of the order in 18th century Austria. Most of the admitted persons suffered from "fever" or inner diseases and were dismissed as healed already after some weeks of stay.