Keys to History

Life in some hospitals was relatively unregimented until the 1880s. Patients were not restricted to eating at mealtimes, and the alcoholic beverages used as stimulants were not always rationed. Even the nurses occasionally over-imbibed in the wine. One nurse at the Montreal General was fired for drunkenness.

Visits were permitted freely, and people prayed aloud in the wards and corridors. In Hospitaller-run institutions, the rules were strict but not strictly observed.

In the late 19th century, the medicalization of care led to more rigorous patient regimes. Alcohol was rationed, diets were imposed, snacks were eliminated and visits were limited. As for the nightshift staff, tea replaced beer. Silence, courtesy and compliance with the prescribed treatments became mandatory, with misconduct punishable by firing.