How Times Have Changed

The first time I remember going to a hospital was, I guess, when I was six or seven (I’m not going to tell you how long ago that was) and I was taken to see my grandfather. The ward was huge - in my memory it stretched forever - with men in beds lined up in rows against the walls and there were even more beds out on an enclosed veranda. It was all very regimented with nurses in crisp white uniforms bustling around, their starched veils fascinating me. This was the major public hospital here at the time and while a new modern extension had been added some years before, much of the hospital was still old style and as it had been back in the 1920s when it was first built. My grandfather had worked on the extension as a bricklayer but unfortunately whatever ailed him - and I have no idea what that was - didn't give him a bed in the new part although I'm sure it didn't affect his treatment which would have been to the standard of the time. The overpowering smell of carbolic disinfectant is still clear in my mind.

A year or so later I was taken to visit my father who had had surgery. This was at a private hospital and my overwhelming memory is of a big dark room with eight beds that smelled of disinfectant and cigars - one of the patients was a smoker who went out on to a tiny balcony for a smoke. As well as some of the wartime Japanese currency that had been printed for those countries they had invaded, he gave me several wooden cigar boxes so he must have smoked quite a bit while in hospital. The currency disappeared long ago and why he had it with him in hospital I have no idea. The whole place was depressing in the extreme with nurses frowning at any noise. 

My recent hospital experience couldn't have been more different. I had a minor medical procedure as day surgery and pretty much the worst bit (apart from having to have a general anaesthetic) was having to get through the morning rush hour traffic. The hospital is a private one and the Day Unit consisted of bright four bed wards with each bed curtained and having a lockable closet for your clothing and other items. Cheerful nurses in blue scrubs were there to help at the press of a buzzer and once my procedure was done and I was back in the ward there were cups of coffee and sandwiches and nurses coming in to check on me every few minutes until Pisces came to pick me up. Everything was modern and attractive with not a hint of disinfectant. Not, you understand, that these conditions made me want to stay any longer but they certainly made it more pleasant. 

We've certainly come a long way, haven't we.