American journal of diseases of children (1960)
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Historical Article
Reared in adversity: institutional care of children in the 18th century.
The earliest public pediatric care of the 18th century in this country took the form of "outdoor relief." Institutional care followed, first almshouses were built; then orphanages, hospitals, and dispensaries. Almshouses not only included workhouses but provided comprehensive medical services. Throughout the 18th century, people often referred to the almshouses as hospitals. ⋯ By the middle of this 20th century, practically all of them had been absorbed by hospitals. In these institutions, pediatric knowledge advanced and medical manpower developed even during the 18th century. By the end of that century, social movements began from which evolved the 19th-century concern for the welfare of children.