Nightingale, el ‘espacio para el cuidado’ y su influencia en la arquitectura de hospitales

Abstract

Throughout history, health and illness have been of concern to men. This situation led to the creation of architectural spaces that served to reconquer the first and leave the second behind. There are many examples of buildings, hospitals, that have been built, some temporarily and others permanent. The former come from the hand of the Greco-Roman world that laid the foundations for the later ones. But as the mystical gave way to science the needs changed. Little by little, the spaces were adapted to create the most suitable conditions that would facilitate the healing and care of the sick. One of the most interesting examples, and which is considered a starting point, is the intervention carried out by Florence Nightingale first at St. Thomas Hospital and later at Herbert Hospital in the second half of the 19th century. In them, science, architecture and health go hand in hand to walk together and thus achieve their goal: to cure and care for the sick.