Setting - St Bartholomew's
St Bartholomew’s Hospital (“Barts”) was founded in 1123 by Rahere, an Augustinian monk who had a vision of St Bartholomew when struck by malaria on a pilgrimage to Rome. On his return he established the hospital and church in gratitude to the saint who had saved his life. The church - St Bartholomew the Great - still stands. It has been seen on screen many times, most notably in Four Weddings and a Funeral.
The current main buildings enclosing the square date from the mid-18th century. They were designed by James Gibb, whose masterpiece, the Great Hall, lists the names of the hospital's benefactors in gold letters on the walls. The stairwell murals - The Good Samaritan and Christ at the Pool of Bethesda - are by William Hogarth.
Noted Barts physicians have included William Harvey, who discovered the circulation of the blood, and the poet Robert Bridges, who was a casualty physician in the 1870s. The modern hospital boasts several eminent individuals and world-class departments. The staff includes many members of editorial boards, WHO and UK government experts, and opinion leaders. Individual interests and publication records can be viewed on the divisional home pages at http://www.mds.qmw.ac.uk/divisions.
In 1995, St Bartholomew's Hospital was twinned with
the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, which lies just to the east
of the City of London, as ‘Barts’ lies just to the west. The conglomerate,
known as the St Bartholomew's and Royal London Hospital Trust - together
with its academic correlate, the St Bartholomew's and Royal London
School of Medicine and Dentistry - caters for the full range of clinical
and research specialties. The expertise available to Lingua Medica is
on-site, hands-on and human.
