The way of the sick to the Hospital of the Holy Spirit in Rome in the 17th-18th centuries

Abstract

The Hospital of the Holy Spirit in Rome, the largest charitable institution in Europe and the Christian world, founded in 1198 by Pope Innocent III, served two functions: it was a foundling asylum (brephotrophium) and a hospital for the sick (infirmary). The author conducted research on the healing function of this hospital, the result of which is a monograph published in Poland in 2023, entitled: The Holy Spirit Infirmary in Rome in the 17th-18th centuries (pp. 570). In the years 2022-2024, he published several articles in Italian journals focusing on the roles of hospital physicians and surgeons, male nurses’ (giovani) work in the hospital and their education and training in surgery, and the religious and sacramental life of the sick in the said hospital. This article addresses an issue not previously explored in studies on the healing function of the Hospital of the Holy Spirit in Rome. It concerns the matter of transporting patients to the hospital and the procedure for their admission. Patients arrived at the hospital both from Rome and the surrounding area. The latter were transported on horseback, while the sick residing in the city were brought to the hospital on stretchers or chairs by stretcher-bearers (barellanti). Persons involved in transporting the sick were paid by the Office of Papal Charities. (Limosineria Apostolica). It was recommended that patients be placed in the hospital nearest to their place of residence. The sick, having arrived at the hospital alone, driven or brought, were subject to a special procedure of admission and hospitalisation. They were diagnosed by one of the assistant physicians on duty, who decided whether the patients were eligible for admission and, if so, assigned them to the appropriate ward for treatment. Clothing and personal belongings of the sick were then deposited, and they were provided with hospital attire. The first duty of the newly admitted patient was confession, followed by Holy Communion.