Submitted by Your Library on Tue, 3 Aug, 2010
Posted in
Cherry Orchard Hospital in Ballyfermot was built in 1953 as a fever hospital
This video is designed as a resource for primary and post-primary students up to Junior Certificate.
Cherry Orchard Hospital, Ballyfermot
Imagine, school could be a health hazard before the 1960s! In fact, anywhere a crowd gathered could be life-threatening. Infectious diseases such as TB and polio were very common in Ireland because children were not vaccinated against them.
In the 1950s there was an outbreak of polio and if you were unfortunate enough to get it, you were put ‘in isolation’ in a hospital which cared for people with infectious diseases. These hospitals were called ‘fever hospitals’. You would have to stay there until you were cured or no longer infectious. This could take six months or more.
Nowadays if you had to stay in hospital you would have lots of visitors bringing you presents but for children in a fever hospital in the 1950s life could be very lonely; most often these children were not allowed visitors or presents and they didn’t see their family or friends for months.
Cherry Orchard Hospital was such a hospital. It opened in November 1953 to replace the old Cork Street Fever Hospital. This old hospital had been set up in 1804 by Dublin businessmen, among them Arthur Guinness and Samuel Bewley.
Dr Noel Brown was Minister of Health when Cherry Orchard Hospital was built. He had worked very hard to get all children in Ireland vaccinated against infectious diseases such as TB and polio. He was Minister of Health when turned the first sod on the site for the new hospital.
The buildings and gardens covered the space of around 46 football fields. There were 11 separate single-storey blocks of wards, an oratory where you could say your prayers, sports grounds, a swimming pool and rooms for staff.
Nowadays there is no need for a fever hospital as there are hardly any dangerous contagious diseases about as most children are vaccinated against them. Cherry Orchard Hospital still looks after patients today.
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