INPATIENT STATISTICS AT THE HOPITAL DES ENFANTS MALADES IN PARIS FOR THE YEAR 1822
The HÔpital des Enfants Malades, the world's first children's hospital, was founded in Paris in 1802. Twenty years later it contained 560 beds, 491 for medical and 69 for surgical patients.
In 1822, 2,641 patients were admitted; their diagnoses were as follows: [SEE TABLE IN SOURCE PDF.]
The overall mortality among inpatients was about 27 percent. The mortality for smallpox was 47 percent, and for measles 35 percent.
Contrary to current practice in our children's hospitals, inpatients at the Hôpital des Enfants Malades, at least in 1822, were hospitalized for exceedingly long periods. For example, patients with scabies spent between 21 and 69 days in the hospital; for tinea the average hospital stay was 156 days; and for scrofula 288 days.




