Guy's Hospital
Encyclopedia
Guy's Hospital is a large NHS
hospital
in the borough of Southwark
in south east London
, England
. It is administratively a part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. It is a large teaching hospital and is home to the King's College London School of Medicine (formerly known as the GKT School of Medicine). It is the tallest hospital building in the world, standing at 142.6m, with 34 floors.
(1644/45–27 December 1724), a publisher of unlicensed Bibles who had made a fortune in the South Sea Bubble. It was originally established as a hospital to treat "incurables" discharged from St Thomas' Hospital
. Guy had been a Governor and benefactor of St Thomas' and his fellow Governors supported his intention by granting the south-side of St Thomas' Street for a peppercorn
for 999 years. Guy is interred in the crypt of the Chapel of his foundation.
Guy's has expanded over the centuries. The original buildings comprised a courtyard facing St Thomas Street, comprising the hall on the east side and the Chapel, Matron's House and Surgeon's House on the west-side. Two inner quadrangles were divided by a cloister which was later restyled and dedicated to the hospital's members who fell in World War I. The east side comprised the care wards and the 'counting house' with the governors 'Burfoot Court Room'. The north-side quadrangle is dominated by a statue of Lord Nuffield who was the chairman of governors for many years and also a major benefactor. These original parts of the hospital are now administrative and social accommodation.
Despite substantial bomb damage during World War II
, the original 18th century chapel remains intact including the tomb of Thomas Guy with a marble sculpture by John Bacon.
A bequest of £200,000 by William Hunt in 1829, one of the largest charitable bequests in England in historic terms, allowed for a further hundred beds to be accommodated. Hunt's name was given to the southern expansion of the hospital buildings. These were replaced c.2000 by new academic buildings for King's College, known as New Hunt's House.
In 1974, the hospital added the 34 storey Guy's Tower. At 143 metres (469 ft) high, this is the tallest hospital building in the world, and the 11th tallest building in London
. It was designed by Watkins Gray. Guy's Tower is divided into two sections of which the top floors (floors 18-30) represent the dental school, where students of King's College London Dental School study and practice, and the lower floors (Ground-18) represent the medical departments.
The latest addition to the clinical buildings is Thomas Guy House, completed in 1995. This was originally to have been known as Philip Harris
House, but the benefactor withdrew his funding in protest at the enforced merger of Guy's with St Thomas' Hospital
Over 8,000 staff work in Guy's Hospital and St Thomas' Hospital. They are two of the oldest teaching hospitals, and they are situated right in the heart of the capital. One of the services that the trust provides is dental care, looking after over 120,000 patients a year.
The site consists of 19 distinct, but interconnected, buildings with functions including public medical services, teaching, research and student residence. Collectively the buildings are known by local students as 'the squirrel' due to the buildings strange silhouette.
The buildings which compose the campus are :
Research for the Trust's FACE wayfinding project identified that the similarity of the previous names led to widespread confusion for patients and visitors. From January 2008, as part of a wider project to ease wayfinding (which included changing the postal address of the hospital from St Thomas Street to Great Maze Pond) the names used for the three main buildings were changed with Thomas Guy House being divided into two distinct wings reflecting its separate circulation cores.
The centre of Old Guy's House leads into a colonnade
separating the two inner courtyards. The western courtyard has a statue of the hospital benefactor Lord Nuffield and the eastern courtyard contains an arch from the old London Bridge
in which a seated statue of John Keats
was recently installed.
The academic buildings of King's College are centred around the lawned area known as "The Park". The premises stretch as far as Borough High Street and some buildings have names reflecting historic inns formerly on parts of the site:
Lastly, there are a cluster of buildings to the south of New Guy's House, accessible from Snowfields and Weston Street:
Dental work involves dental surgeons, as well as dental nurses, dental hygienists, dental therapists and dental technicians; all of which are equally important to the efficiency of the hospital's dental care services.
.
The Wolfson Centre for Age-Related Diseases
was built following a generous donation from the Wolfson Foundation
. This centre brings under one roof a number of research groups dedicated to improving outcomes of conditions including Alzheimer's disease
, stroke
, Parkinson's disease
and spinal cord injury
.
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
in the borough of Southwark
London Borough of Southwark
The London Borough of Southwark is a London borough in south east London, England. It is directly south of the River Thames and the City of London, and forms part of Inner London.-History:...
in south east London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is administratively a part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. It is a large teaching hospital and is home to the King's College London School of Medicine (formerly known as the GKT School of Medicine). It is the tallest hospital building in the world, standing at 142.6m, with 34 floors.
History
The hospital was founded in 1721 by Thomas GuyThomas Guy
Thomas Guy was a British bookseller, speculator and de facto founder of Guy's Hospital, London-Early life:Thomas Guy was born a son of a lighterman, wharf owner and coal-dealer at Southwark. In 1668, after eight years as an apprentice of a bookseller, he began his own bookstore in Lombard Street...
(1644/45–27 December 1724), a publisher of unlicensed Bibles who had made a fortune in the South Sea Bubble. It was originally established as a hospital to treat "incurables" discharged from St Thomas' Hospital
St Thomas' Hospital
St Thomas' Hospital is a large NHS hospital in London, England. It is administratively a part of Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. It has provided health care freely or under charitable auspices since the 12th century and was originally located in Southwark.St Thomas' Hospital is accessible...
. Guy had been a Governor and benefactor of St Thomas' and his fellow Governors supported his intention by granting the south-side of St Thomas' Street for a peppercorn
Peppercorn (legal)
A peppercorn in legal parlance is a metaphor for a very small payment, a nominal consideration, used to satisfy the requirements for the creation of a legal contract. "A peppercorn does not cease to be good consideration if it is established that the promisee does not like pepper and will throw...
for 999 years. Guy is interred in the crypt of the Chapel of his foundation.
Guy's has expanded over the centuries. The original buildings comprised a courtyard facing St Thomas Street, comprising the hall on the east side and the Chapel, Matron's House and Surgeon's House on the west-side. Two inner quadrangles were divided by a cloister which was later restyled and dedicated to the hospital's members who fell in World War I. The east side comprised the care wards and the 'counting house' with the governors 'Burfoot Court Room'. The north-side quadrangle is dominated by a statue of Lord Nuffield who was the chairman of governors for many years and also a major benefactor. These original parts of the hospital are now administrative and social accommodation.
Despite substantial bomb damage during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the original 18th century chapel remains intact including the tomb of Thomas Guy with a marble sculpture by John Bacon.
In 1974, the hospital added the 34 storey Guy's Tower. At 143 metres (469 ft) high, this is the tallest hospital building in the world, and the 11th tallest building in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. It was designed by Watkins Gray. Guy's Tower is divided into two sections of which the top floors (floors 18-30) represent the dental school, where students of King's College London Dental School study and practice, and the lower floors (Ground-18) represent the medical departments.
The latest addition to the clinical buildings is Thomas Guy House, completed in 1995. This was originally to have been known as Philip Harris
Philip Harris, Baron Harris of Peckham
Philip Charles Harris, Baron Harris of Peckham is an English Conservative member of the House of Lords and businessman.-Business interests:...
House, but the benefactor withdrew his funding in protest at the enforced merger of Guy's with St Thomas' Hospital
St Thomas' Hospital
St Thomas' Hospital is a large NHS hospital in London, England. It is administratively a part of Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. It has provided health care freely or under charitable auspices since the 12th century and was originally located in Southwark.St Thomas' Hospital is accessible...
Over 8,000 staff work in Guy's Hospital and St Thomas' Hospital. They are two of the oldest teaching hospitals, and they are situated right in the heart of the capital. One of the services that the trust provides is dental care, looking after over 120,000 patients a year.
The site
The buildings which compose the campus are :
Major hospital buildings containing wards
Since the merger with St Thomas' Hospital, medical services at the Guy's site have been concentrated in the buildings to the east of Great Maze Pond:- Tower Wing (formerly known as Guy's Tower)
- Borough Wing (formerly known as New Guy's House)
- Southwark Wing (the western part of the block formerly known as Thomas Guy House)
- Bermondsey Wing (the eastern part of the block formerly known as Thomas Guy House)
Research for the Trust's FACE wayfinding project identified that the similarity of the previous names led to widespread confusion for patients and visitors. From January 2008, as part of a wider project to ease wayfinding (which included changing the postal address of the hospital from St Thomas Street to Great Maze Pond) the names used for the three main buildings were changed with Thomas Guy House being divided into two distinct wings reflecting its separate circulation cores.
Other buildings
The historic hospital buildings are now used by administration of the hospital and King's College. From St Thomas Street, the outer quadrangle comprises- Boland House - east side
- Conybeare House (containing The Chapel) - west side
- Old Guy's House - south side
The centre of Old Guy's House leads into a colonnade
Colonnade
In classical architecture, a colonnade denotes a long sequence of columns joined by their entablature, often free-standing, or part of a building....
separating the two inner courtyards. The western courtyard has a statue of the hospital benefactor Lord Nuffield and the eastern courtyard contains an arch from the old London Bridge
London Bridge
London Bridge is a bridge over the River Thames, connecting the City of London and Southwark, in central London. Situated between Cannon Street Railway Bridge and Tower Bridge, it forms the western end of the Pool of London...
in which a seated statue of John Keats
John Keats
John Keats was an English Romantic poet. Along with Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley, he was one of the key figures in the second generation of the Romantic movement, despite the fact that his work had been in publication for only four years before his death.Although his poems were not...
was recently installed.
The academic buildings of King's College are centred around the lawned area known as "The Park". The premises stretch as far as Borough High Street and some buildings have names reflecting historic inns formerly on parts of the site:
- Doyles House
- Henriette Raphael House
- Hodgkin Building
- New Hunt's House
- Nuffield House
- Nuffield Nurses' Home
- Pavy Gym
- Shepherd's House
- Tabard House
- Three Tuns House
- Wolfson Centre for Age-Related Diseases
Lastly, there are a cluster of buildings to the south of New Guy's House, accessible from Snowfields and Weston Street:
- Capital House
- Munro Clinic
- Newcomen Centre
- Wolfson House (containing the Greenwood Theatre)
Guy's Dental Hospital
Guy's Hospital near London Bridge (5 minutes walk from the overground/underground stations) is home to the largest dental hospital in Europe. Its services include routine dentistry, dental surgery, oral medicine and specialist dentistry. In addition Guy's also provides emergency dental services, and oral and facial surgery with the majority of work being performed by students.Dental work involves dental surgeons, as well as dental nurses, dental hygienists, dental therapists and dental technicians; all of which are equally important to the efficiency of the hospital's dental care services.
Developments and changes
On 31 October 2005 children's departments at Guy's moved to the newly constructed Evelina Children's HospitalEvelina Children's Hospital
Evelina Children's Hospital is a specialist NHS hospital in London. It is administratively a part of Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and provides teaching hospital facilities for King's College London...
.
The Wolfson Centre for Age-Related Diseases
Wolfson Centre for Age-Related Diseases
The Wolfson Centre for Age-Related Diseases is based at the Guy's Hospital campus of King's College London, England. It is made up of three research groups including the Receptors and Signalling Group, the Neurorestoration Group and Neurodegeneration and Clinical Trials Group.The centre is...
was built following a generous donation from the Wolfson Foundation
Wolfson Foundation
The Wolfson Foundation is a charity that awards grants to support excellence in the fields of science and medicine, health, education and the arts & humanities.- Overview :...
. This centre brings under one roof a number of research groups dedicated to improving outcomes of conditions including Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
, stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
, Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
and spinal cord injury
Spinal cord injury
A spinal cord injury refers to any injury to the spinal cord that is caused by trauma instead of disease. Depending on where the spinal cord and nerve roots are damaged, the symptoms can vary widely, from pain to paralysis to incontinence...
.
Famous physicians who worked at Guy's
- Thomas AddisonThomas AddisonThomas Addison was a renowned 19th-century English physician and scientist. He is traditionally regarded as one of the "great men" of Guy's Hospital in London....
, discoverer of Addison's diseaseAddison's diseaseAddison’s disease is a rare, chronic endocrine disorder in which the adrenal glands do not produce sufficient steroid hormones... - Thomas HodgkinThomas HodgkinThomas Hodgkin was a British physician, considered one of the most prominent pathologists of his time and a pioneer in preventive medicine. He is now best known for the first account of Hodgkin's disease, a form of lymphoma and blood disease, in 1832...
, discoverer of Hodgkin's lymphomaHodgkin's lymphomaHodgkin's lymphoma, previously known as Hodgkin's disease, is a type of lymphoma, which is a cancer originating from white blood cells called lymphocytes... - Richard BrightRichard Bright (physician)Richard Bright was an English physician and early pioneer in the research of kidney disease.He was born in Bristol, Gloucestershire, the third son of Sarah and Richard Bright Sr., a wealthy merchant and banker. Bright Sr. shared his interest in science with his son,encouraging him to consider it...
, discoverer of Bright's diseaseBright's diseaseBright's disease is a historical classification of kidney diseases that would be described in modern medicine as acute or chronic nephritis. The term is no longer used, as diseases are now classified according to their more fully understood causes.... - Sir Astley CooperAstley CooperSir Astley Paston Cooper, 1st Baronet was an English surgeon and anatomist, who made historical contributions to otology, vascular surgery, the anatomy and pathology of the mammary glands and testicles, and the pathology and surgery of hernia.-Life:Cooper was born at Brooke Hall in Brooke, Norfolk...
, discoverer of the Cooper's ligamentsCooper's ligamentsCooper's ligaments are connective tissue in the breast that help maintain structural integrity.Transmission diffraction tomography can reveal the anatomy....
of the breastBreastThe breast is the upper ventral region of the torso of a primate, in left and right sides, which in a female contains the mammary gland that secretes milk used to feed infants.Both men and women develop breasts from the same embryological tissues...
s - Edward CockEdward CockEdward Cock , British surgeon, was a nephew of Sir Astley Cooper, and through him became at an early age a member of the staff of the Borough Hospital in London, where he worked in the dissecting room for thirteen years. Afterwards he became in 1838 assistant surgeon at Guy's Hospital, where from...
, surgeon and nephew of Sir Astley Cooper - Sir Alexander FlemingAlexander FlemingSir Alexander Fleming was a Scottish biologist and pharmacologist. He wrote many articles on bacteriology, immunology, and chemotherapy...
, discoverer of penicillin and instructor of pathology - Sir Samuel WilksSamuel WilksSir Samuel Wilks, 1st Baronet , was a British physician and biographer.-Early life:Samuel Wilks was born on 2 June 1824 in Camberwell, London, the second son of Joseph Barber Wilks, a cashier at the East India House...
- Sir Alfred PolandAlfred PolandSir Alfred Poland was a 19th century British surgeon. He is now best known for the first account of Poland syndrome, a congenital deformity now described as an underdevelopment or absence of the chest muscle on one side of the body and webbing of the fingers of the hand on the same side .Poland...
, the first to describe Poland syndromePoland syndromePoland syndrome is a rare birth defect characterized by underdevelopment or absence of the chest muscle on one side of the body and webbing of the fingers of the hand on the same side mostly common on the right... - Sir Frederick HopkinsFrederick HopkinsSir Frederick Gowland Hopkins OM FRS was an English biochemist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1929, with Christiaan Eijkman, for the discovery of vitamins. He also discovered the amino acid tryptophan, in 1901...
, discoverer of vitaminVitaminA vitamin is an organic compound required as a nutrient in tiny amounts by an organism. In other words, an organic chemical compound is called a vitamin when it cannot be synthesized in sufficient quantities by an organism, and must be obtained from the diet. Thus, the term is conditional both on...
s - Sir William Withey Gull, the first to describe myxoedema and coined the term anorexia nervosaAnorexia nervosaAnorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by refusal to maintain a healthy body weight and an obsessive fear of gaining weight. Although commonly called "anorexia", that term on its own denotes any symptomatic loss of appetite and is not strictly accurate...
- James Hinton, otologistOtologyOtology is a branch of biomedicine which studies normal and pathological anatomy and physiology of the ear as well as its diseases, diagnosis and treatment....
- John Hilton, great anatomist and surgeon
- Humphry OsmondHumphry OsmondHumphry Fortescue Osmond was a British psychiatrist known for inventing the word psychedelic and for using psychedelic drugs in medical research...
, psychiatrist who worked with psychedelic drugs and coined the term - John Butterfield, Baron ButterfieldJohn Butterfield, Baron ButterfieldWilliam John Hughes Butterfield, Baron Butterfield, OBE, FRCP was a leading British medical researcher, clinician and administrator....
- Frederick William PavyFrederick William PavyWilliam Frederick Pavy was a British physician and physiologist and the discoverer of Pavy's disease, a cyclic or recurrent physiologic albuminuria....
, worked with Richard Bright, one of the founders and presidents of the Medical and Chirurgical Society of LondonMedical and Chirurgical Society of LondonThe Medical and Chirurgical Society of London was a learned society of physicians and surgeons which was founded in 1805 by 26 personalities in these fields who had left the Medical Society of London because of disagreement with the autocratic style of its president, James Sims... - John Braxton HicksJohn Braxton HicksJohn Braxton Hicks was a 19th century English doctor who specialised in obstetrics.He was born to Edward Hicks in Rye, Sussex. He was educated privately and in 1841 entered Guy's Hospital Medical School. He obtained his MB at the University of London in 1845 and an MD in 1851...
, obstetrician, discoverer of the Braxton Hicks uterineUterusThe uterus or womb is a major female hormone-responsive reproductive sex organ of most mammals including humans. One end, the cervix, opens into the vagina, while the other is connected to one or both fallopian tubes, depending on the species...
contractions - Gerard Folliott VaughanGerard Folliott VaughanSir Gerard Folliot Vaughan was a psychiatrist and UK politician, who reached ministerial rank during the Thatcher administration...
, UK psychiatristPsychiatristA psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
, who became a politicianPoliticianA politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and minister of state during Margaret ThatcherMargaret ThatcherMargaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
's government - James JurinJames JurinJames Jurin FRS MA FRCP MD was an English scientist and physician, particularly remembered for his early work in capillary action and in the epidemiology of smallpox vaccination...
, early work on epidemiologyEpidemiologyEpidemiology is the study of health-event, health-characteristic, or health-determinant patterns in a population. It is the cornerstone method of public health research, and helps inform policy decisions and evidence-based medicine by identifying risk factors for disease and targets for preventive...
of the smallpox vaccineSmallpox vaccineThe smallpox vaccine was the first successful vaccine to be developed. The process of vaccination was discovered by Edward Jenner in 1796, who acted upon his observation that milkmaids who caught the cowpox virus did not catch smallpox... - Abraham Pineo GesnerAbraham Pineo GesnerAbraham Pineo Gesner was a Canadian physician and geologist who invented kerosene. Although Ignacy Łukasiewicz developed the modern kerosene lamp, starting the world's oil industry, Gesner is considered a primary founder. Gesner was born in Cornwallis, Nova Scotia...
, surgeon and inventor of keroseneKeroseneKerosene, sometimes spelled kerosine in scientific and industrial usage, also known as paraffin or paraffin oil in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Ireland and South Africa, is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid. The name is derived from Greek keros...
refining - John KeatsJohn KeatsJohn Keats was an English Romantic poet. Along with Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley, he was one of the key figures in the second generation of the Romantic movement, despite the fact that his work had been in publication for only four years before his death.Although his poems were not...
, writer - Philip Henry Pye-SmithPhilip Henry Pye-SmithPhilip Henry Pye-Smith was a physician, medical scientist and educator. His interest was physiology, specialising in skin diseases....
, physician - Iain WestIain WestIain West was a British forensic pathologist.He was involved in examining numerous deaths, many which are described in the book Dr Iain West's Casebook he published in collaboration with journalist Chester Stern.From 1984 to 1998 he was head of the Department of Forensic Medicine at Guy's...
, forensic pathologist - Devi Prasad ShettyDevi Prasad ShettyDr Devi Prasad Shetty is an Indian philanthropist and a cardiac surgeon. He also served as a member of the Board of Governors of Medical Council of India for 1 year between May 2010 and May 2011, after the MCI was reconstituted.-Life and career:...
, famous cardiac surgeon & Founder, Narayana Hrudayalaya
See also
- Guy's Hospital Football Club founded in (1843) has a claim to being the oldest (rugby) football club still in existence.
- King's College LondonKing's College LondonKing's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
- Tall buildings in London