- Rotunda Hospital
The Rotunda Hospital ("Ospidéal an Rotunda" in Irish) is one of the three main maternity hospitals in the city of
Dublin , the others being The Coombe and Holles Street. The hospital is located just off the top ofO'Connell Street , on Parnell Square, on the north side of the city.The hospital, originally known as "The Dublin Lying-In Hospital", was founded in
1745 byBartholomew Mosse (1712-1759), a surgeon and man-midwife who was appalled at the conditions thatpregnant mothers had to endure at the time. Initially located in George's Lane on the site of a recently closed theater, the hospital was later moved to its present location in1757 where it became known as "The New Lying-In Hospital", referred to today as "The Rotunda". The design of the main building was undertaken by the renownedarchitect Richard Cassels [cite web|url=http://ireland.archiseek.com/buildings_ireland/dublin/northcity/parnell/rotunda.htm|title=Rotunda Hospital|work=Architecture Of Dublin|publisher=Archiseek.com|accessdate=2008-06-11] , who was also responsible forLeinster House ,Russborough House andPowerscourt House, among others.Because it was a charitable institution, the hospital had several public function rooms in which fundraising activities were held. One of these areas was a large rotunda, after which the hospital is now named, but which is now a part of the
Gate Theatre .The Rotunda, as both a maternity hospital and also as a training centre (affiliated with
Trinity College, Dublin cite web|url=http://www.tcd.ie/Maps/rotunda.html|title=Trinity College Campus Maps:-Rotunda|publisher=University Of Dublin, Trinity College|accessdate=2008-06-11] ) is notable for having provided continuous service to mothers and babies since inception, making it the oldest continuously operating maternity hospital in the world. It is estimated that over 300,000 babies have been born there [ [http://www.rotunda.ie/pdf/patientinfobook.pdf Patient Information Booklet] ] . In 1889, the firstcaesarean section performed in Ireland was performed at the Rotunda.The Rotunda is also the oldest maternity hospital in the world....External links
* [http://www.rotunda.ie/ Rotunda Hospital website]
* [http://www.rotunda.ie/pdf/historyrotunda.pdf History of the Rotunda Hospital]References
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
