Foundling Hospital
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This article is about the children's home in London. For institutions for the reception of foundlings in general, see
foundling hospital. For the Italian orphanage known by the same name, see
Ospedale degli Innocenti.
The
Foundling Hospital in
London,
England, was founded in 1739 by the
philanthropic sea captain Thomas Coram. It was a children's home established for the "education and maintenance of exposed and deserted young children." The word "
hospital"
was used in a more general sense than it is today, simply indicating
the institution's "hospitality" to those less fortunate. Nevertheless,
one of the top priorities of the committee at the Foundling Hospital was
children's health, as they combated
smallpox,
fevers,
consumption,
dysentery and even infections from everyday activities like teething that drove up mortality rates and risked epidemics.
[2]
With their energies focused on maintaining a disinfected environment,
providing simple clothing and fare, the committee paid less attention to
and spent less on developing children's education. As a result,
financial problems would hound the institution for years to come,
despite the growing "fashionableness" of charities like the hospital.
[3]
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