Hospitals in Portugal from the nineteenth to the mid-twentieth centuries

Abstract

Since the modern era, healthcare in Portugal has been provided primarily by hospitals, many of which were founded by the Sisters of Mercy and known as Misericordias. However, the creation of new hospitals in the nineteenth century and first half of the twentieth century did not necessarily yield improved patient care, since these institutions tended to be small, poorly equipped, and lacking in human and material resources. This study presents a reflection on developments in Portuguese hospitals from 1834 through to the first decades of the twentieth century, drawing on data on several institutions to identify changes and continuities in the healthcare offered.