The Prince of Wales Hospital is a 440-bed major public

teaching hospital A teaching hospital or university hospital is a hospital or medical center that provides medical education and training to future and current health professionals. Teaching hospitals are almost always affiliated with one or more universities a ...

located in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

's eastern suburb of

Randwick Randwick is a suburb in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Randwick is located 6 kilometres south-east of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government ar ...

, providing a full range of hospital services to the people of

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. The hospital has strong ties to the adjacent

University of New South Wales The University of New South Wales (UNSW) is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was established in 1949. The university comprises seven faculties, through which it offers bachelor's, master's and docto ...

. The Prince of Wales Hospital shares the Randwick Hospitals' Campus site with the

Sydney Children's Hospital Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick, is an Australian children's hospital located in the Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), eastern suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales. On 1 July 2010 it became part of the newly formed Sydney Children's Hospitals Netwo ...

and the Royal Hospital for Women, as well as the Prince of Wales Private Hospital.Prince of Wales Private Hospital
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History

The Prince of Wales Hospital had its origins in 1852 with the formation of the ''Society for Destitute Children'' which established the ''Asylum for Destitute Children'' with the first building opened on 21 March 1858 in

Paddington Paddington is an area in the City of Westminster, in central London, England. A medieval parish then a metropolitan borough of the County of London, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Paddington station, designed b ...

. After an appeal for funds in 1870, the ''Catherine Hayes Hospital''—a separate facility located in Avoca Street, Randwick—opened, reputedly with plans approved by

Florence Nightingale Florence Nightingale (; 12 May 1820 – 13 August 1910) was an English Reform movement, social reformer, statistician and the founder of modern nursing. Nightingale came to prominence while serving as a manager and trainer of nurses during th ...

. In 1915, during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

the hospital was converted by the NSW Government into a

military hospital A military hospital is a hospital owned or operated by a military. They are often reserved for the use of military personnel and their dependents, but in some countries are made available to civilians as well. They may or may not be located on a m ...

and then a

repatriation Repatriation is the return of a thing or person to its or their country of origin, respectively. The term may refer to non-human entities, such as converting a foreign currency into the currency of one's own country, as well as the return of mi ...

hospital, and renamed the ''Fourth Australian Repatriation Hospital''. In 1927 an association between the ''Coast Hospital'' and the ''Fourth Australian Repatriation Hospital'' at Randwick began. With the opening of the

Concord Repatriation General Hospital Concord Repatriation General Hospital (abbreviated CRGH), commonly referred to as Concord Hospital, is a district general hospital in Sydney, Australia, on Hospital Road in Concord. It is a teaching hospital of Sydney Medical School at the Un ...

in 1953, the Randwick hospital was renamed the ''Prince of Wales Hospital'', and operated as an annexe of

Sydney Hospital Sydney Hospital, historically known as the Rum Hospital, is a major hospital in Sydney, Australia, located on Macquarie Street in the Sydney central business district. It is the oldest hospital in Australia, dating back to 1788, and has been at ...

. Restructuring and hospital redevelopment has continued to occur to enhance the medical and patient facilities of the hospital, including amalgamation with the ''Prince Henry Hospital'', ''Royal South Sydney Hospital'' and the ''Eastern Suburbs Hospital''.

Prince Henry Hospital

Originally known as the Coast Hospital, Prince Henry had its origins managing patients with

infectious disease An infection is the invasion of tissue (biology), tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host (biology), host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmis ...

s such as

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus '' Orthopoxvirus''. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (W ...

(outbreak in 1881),

diphtheria Diphtheria is an infection caused by the bacteria, bacterium ''Corynebacterium diphtheriae''. Most infections are asymptomatic or have a mild Course (medicine), clinical course, but in some outbreaks, the mortality rate approaches 10%. Signs a ...

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

and

scarlet fever Scarlet fever, also known as scarlatina, is an infectious disease caused by ''Streptococcus pyogenes'', a Group A streptococcus (GAS). It most commonly affects children between five and 15 years of age. The signs and symptoms include a sore ...

. In 1900 there was an outbreak of the

bubonic plague Bubonic plague is one of three types of Plague (disease), plague caused by the Bacteria, bacterium ''Yersinia pestis''. One to seven days after exposure to the bacteria, flu-like symptoms develop. These symptoms include fever, headaches, and ...

, with 303 cases reported and 103 deaths, and a further outbreak in 1921. In 1919 the

1918 flu pandemic The 1918–1920 flu pandemic, also known as the Great Influenza epidemic or by the common misnomer Spanish flu, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the Influenza A virus subtype H1N1, H1N1 subtype of the influenz ...

reached Sydney, requiring the full resources of the hospital. Within its grounds was a

lazar house A leper colony, also known by many other names, is an isolated community for the quarantining and treatment of lepers, people suffering from leprosy. '' M. leprae'', the bacterium responsible for leprosy, is believed to have spread from East ...

for the treatment/quarantining of those with

leprosy Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a Chronic condition, long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the Peripheral nervous system, nerves, respir ...

. During both world wars soldiers with

venereal disease A sexually transmitted infection (STI), also referred to as a sexually transmitted disease (STD) and the older term venereal disease (VD), is an infection that is spread by sexual activity, especially vaginal intercourse, anal sex, or ...

were admitted to the hospital. In 1934 the Coast Hospital was renamed the ''Prince Henry Hospital of Sydney'' on the occasion of the visit of the

Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester (Henry William Frederick Albert; 31 March 1900 – 10 June 1974) was a member of the British royal family. He was the third son of King George V and Mary of Teck, Queen Mary, and was a younger brother of kings E ...

, and major building works commenced to increase the capacity to 1000 beds. With the passing of the ''Prince Henry Hospital Act 1936'', it became a postgraduate teaching hospital. The ''Institute of Epidemiology and Preventative Medicine'' was established in 1946 and was instrumental in investigating the incidence of the Coxsackie virus (

aseptic meningitis Aseptic meningitis is the inflammation of the meninges, a membrane covering the brain and spinal cord, in patients whose cerebral spinal fluid test result is negative with routine bacterial cultures. Aseptic meningitis is caused by viruses, mycob ...

poliomyelitis Poliomyelitis ( ), commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 75% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe ...

virus and was the first to isolate REO virus. In 1970 the management of three hospitals – Prince Henry, Prince of Wales and Eastern Suburbs – was brought under one board. In 2001 Prince Henry's services were relocated to Randwick, where they were absorbed by Prince of Wales. The Prince Henry site has since been sold for a housing redevelopment. According to the developer, Landcom, 19 NSW Heritage Registered buildings and features have been preserved. These include the RAF Memorial Clock tower, the wishing well, the water tower and original gates, as well as artisans' cottages and the Pine Cottage and Flowers wards. Many of those who died at the hospital were buried at the Coast cemetery at Cape Banks.

Gallery

(1)Catherine Hayes Building-1.jpg, Catherine Hayes Building, Prince of Wales (1)Lowy Cancer Research Centre.jpg, Lowy Cancer Research Centre, Prince of Wales LittleBay5.JPG, War Memorial Chapel, Prince Henry LittleBay12.JPG, Coast Cemetery, originally attached to Coast Hospital Prince Henry Hospital.jpg, Gatehouse to Prince Henry Hospital as it appeared in 1881.

Royal South Sydney Hospital

In the early 1900s, Sir James Joynton Smith, a hotel, tourism and sports entrepreneur, began a push for a public hospital in South Sydney. At a public meeting at

Redfern Town Hall The Redfern Town Hall is a landmark sandstone civic building located in the heart of , New South Wales, Australia. built in 1870 and designed in the Victorian Regency style by George Allen Mansfield. It was the seat of the Municipality of Red ...

in 1908, Smith was elected provisional president of a future public hospital on the site, which was adjacent to Victoria Park racecourse, which he established and owned. A furious fundraising drive then began. The hospital foundation stone was laid on 21 October 1909, with the hospital opening in August 1913. The royal title was conferred in December 1917. The hospital was entirely used to treat influenza patients in the pandemic of 1919. In September 1991 the hospital became part of the Prince Henry, Prince of Wales and Prince of Wales Children's Hospitals Group.

Eastern Suburbs Hospital

The ''Eastern Suburbs Hospital'' opened in February 1935 on a site near Queen's Park, after agitation from the community from 1924. During the Second World War, the hospital was used by the U.S. Navy Authority as a Naval Hospital from 1943 to 1944. In 1968 the hospital board was disbanded and administration of the hospital was taken over by the joint Boards of Directors of The Prince Henry and The Prince of Wales hospitals. The Eastern Suburbs hospital officially closed on 30 June 1980; the buildings now form part of

Moriah College Moriah College is an independent Modern Orthodox Jewish co-educational early learning, primary and secondary day school, located in Queens Park, an eastern suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The college provides education from ear ...

References

The Bubonic Plague - Historical background
from the NSW Records office
About The Prince of Wales Hospital & Community Health Services

External links

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] {{DEFAULTSORT:Prince Of Wales Hospital, Sydney Hospitals in Sydney Teaching hospitals in Australia Hospitals established in 1852 1852 establishments in Australia Edmund Blacket buildings in Sydney Randwick, New South Wales John Horbury Hunt buildings