Healthcare Legacies: The Hospital for Sick Children

Although hospitals are centuries-old institutions, a hospital that focuses only on children’s healthcare is a relatively recent idea. In the early 19th century, children’s hospitals began to open in England and the United States. But no such hospital existed in Canada.

While on a trip to Manchester, England in the 1860s, Toronto socialite Elizabeth McMaster was inspired by the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital. She returned to Toronto and made plans to open a similar hospital in Toronto. With a group of similar-minded women known as the Ladies Committee, McMaster raised funds to open the Hospital for Sick Children in 1875. This first hospital was simple, with only six beds. But it was open to all children, regardless of their ability to pay.

Finding secure funding for the hospital was difficult during its early years. Most offered their services to the hospital as volunteers: physicians provided free medical service, while others performed maintenance on the building for no cost. By 1877, the hospital had opened its doors to both inpatient and outpatient service. New patients could register each day at 2 p.m., when a physician was present.

Many of the hospital’s early patients suffered from long-term illnesses, such as tuberculosis. In 1889, the average stay for a patient was 64 days. Parental visits were limited to twice a week, except in extreme circumstances. To keep the children’s spirits up, hospital staff often organized activities and outings for patients, including visits to Queen’s Park. Rooms in the hospital were set aside as playrooms or for weekly Sunday school lessons.

Since its creation, SickKids, as it is known today, has played a prominent role in medical treatments related to children. In the early 20th century, polio was considered a significant health threat to children. Polio was known as “infantile paralysis” or “the crippler” because the virus could permanently damage the nerve cells that controlled the muscles, resulting in difficulty walking. Although anyone could contract the disease, children under five were considered the most at risk.

One of the deadliest outbreaks of polio in Toronto began in 1937. At the time, there was no effective treatment of the disease. Schools, public parks and pools were often shut due to fears of the virus’ spread. Many children suffering from polio came to SickKids, where they were often placed in an iron lung, one of the few polio treatments at the time. Due to a shortage of iron lungs during the 1937 outbreak, SickKids personnel put together “homemade” iron lungs from parts found in the hospital’s basement. The hospital was able to construct 27 iron lungs in only a few weeks’ time.