Beyond Incurables: the Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability’s journey in care

Event Notes:

When the Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability (RHN) first opened its doors in 1854, it was termed the Royal Hospital for Incurables. But what were the ‘incurable’ diseases that it treated?

This talk will look at the RHN’s admission records during the Victorian era, including one of our earliest patients who lived to over 80 years of age – after being admitted to the hospital as incurable a whole 50 years beforehand! We will then delve into the hospital’s admission records through to the post-war period and beyond to discover how the conditions that were treated became much narrower and how the RHN gained its specialism in brain injury.

Do join us in the RHN’s journey in healing through time!

Presenter

Katherine Szentgyorgyi
Archivist
Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability