My fictional character Hettie Steward worked at her hometown hospital, Royal Victoria, in the year between finishing nursing school and joining the Canadian Army Medical Corps, Even though the hospital plays a very small role in Angel of Mercy, its history gives us an interesting glimpse into medical care during the first part of the 20th century. (This post is a companion piece to my WWI Trilogy, Angel of Mercy, Those Left Behind and Adjustment Year, available wherever eBooks are sold.)
Some facts about Royal Victoria:
- It was founded in Barrie, Ontario, in 1891 on Duckworth St. It was located in a cottage and had four beds. At the time it was called Barrie General Hospital.
- The hospital’s name was changed to Royal Victoria in 1897 when a 13-bed building was built on High Street.
- The hospital spent $37.87 monthly on staff salaries. Patients were charged $1.14 daily for their care.
- In 1902, the hospital moved to Ross St. after a 35-room building was built at a cost of $20,000.
- The following year, the hospital purchased its first x-ray machine.
The above photo is what Royal Victoria Hospital looked like in Hettie’s time.
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Updated: 21 October 2020
Melina Druga is a multi-genre author with a lifelong love of history, books and the English language.She pens historical fiction, chick lit and nonfiction.
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I enjoyed your post cards very much, I am a bit of a history buff on the history of hospitals in New York, I trained at a hospital called the New York Foundling Hospital in 1966, in NY city, It was the largest infant and young child orphanage in the United States; with it’s roots going back to the 1880s. The original building was on Lexington Avenue, and there was a small bassinett outside the door, where poor desperate women left their babies ; The often left a note pinned to the clothing imploring that The Sisters of Charity take care of them…I then worked at Babies Hospital at 168 th Street and Broadway in the premature wing; It was a part of Columbia Presbyterian Hospital . It was founded in the 1700s and eventually evolved to a major hospital serving New York City.
Thanks, Nancy, for sharing your story. It is amazing the history some organizations have. Do you have any photos of the old hospitals?