Fairfield Infectious Diseases Hospital
37°47′16.85″S 145°0′40.65″E / 37.7880139°S 145.0112917°E
Fairfield Infectious Diseases Hospital | |
---|---|
Geography | |
Location | Yarra Bend Road, Fairfield, Australia |
Organisation | |
Funding | Public hospital |
Type | Specialist |
Services | |
Beds | 720 |
Speciality | Infectious Diseases |
History | |
Opened | October 1, 1904[1][2] |
Closed | 1996 |
Links | |
Lists | Hospitals in Australia |
Fairfield Infectious Diseases Hospital, originally known as Queens Memorial Infectious Diseases Hospital, operated from 1904 to its closure in 1996. Perched high on the banks of the
Initially the hospital was devoted to the treatment of patients with fevers. Diseases treated included
Site and planning
In the 1860s, the colony of Victoria was rife with diseases such as diphtheria, typhoid, smallpox and scarlet fever.
Plans for an infectious diseases hospital were again considered in 1874 however no significant moves were made until 1897,
Early years
In 1904 the hospital opened its doors. Funds for operating the hospital were drawn from Melbourne, Fitzroy, Richmond, St. Kilda, Brunswick and Coburg councils. Each council contributed to the upkeep of the hospital and in return they had a seat on the Hospital Board and their ratepayers were treated free of charge. Other councils were required to pay for any of their residents who required the use of the hospital.[3] Six patients were admitted to the hospital during its first week, one of whom died. This was a public scandal as the child who died was from Northcote and there had been a delay in admitting him whilst the Town Clerk of Northcote debated who was to pay for the boy's hospital fees.
Because of public disquiet about the running of the hospital, an inquiry was held in 1912. This led to a 1914 Act of Parliament, which established a board of management.
Spanish Influenza
Polio epidemic
In the late 1930s, Australia was struck by an
Prior to the 1937 epidemic, the hospital had only one iron lung, a 'Drinker' respirator. It had been imported from London to treat the occasional case of diphtheritic paralysis, a partial paralysis that may follow diphtheria, affecting the soft palate and throat muscles. With the onset of the 1937 epidemic, more respirators were urgently required. Six new wooden respirators were developed and installed by Aubrey Burstall, the Professor of Engineering at the University of Melbourne, with 23 more to follow shortly after. During the height of the epidemic, up to 47 patients were using the hospital's 30 respirators on a 'time share' basis.[7]
Further polio epidemics in 1947-48 and 1951-52 saw more patients sent to Fairfield for treatment and rehabilitation. The discovery of Salk vaccine and Sabin vaccine in the 1950s saw polio virtually eradicated from Australia.
Fairfield Hospital
After the Second World War, the mass production of penicillin and other antibiotics enabled a decline in several infectious diseases. As a result, in 1948 new legislation enabled the hospital to treat general medical and surgical patients, and the Queen's Memorial Hospital was renamed Fairfield Hospital.[5][8]
In 1959 Vivian Bullwinkel was appointed Matron of Fairfield Infectious Diseases Hospital. After her retirement in 1977, she was honoured with The Vivian Bullwinkel School of Nursing being opened at Fairfield Hospital in September 1978.[9]
Burnet Institute
A virology laboratory was established at Fairfield Hospital in 1950 to undertake clinical, diagnostic and research services for the many patients with viral infections. Under the guidance of Dr Alan Ferris (1950–1970) and Professor Ian Gust (1970–1990), Fairfield gained a worldwide reputation for education, research and treatment. The laboratory was the first to isolate hepatitis A virus and one of the first strains of respiratory syncytial virus (the A2 strain, now a reference A group virus).
With the emergence of the
In 1983,
The Burnet Institute continued to operate on the grounds of Fairfield Hospital up until the hospital's closure.
HIV/AIDS
In November 1982, the first case of AIDS was diagnosed at St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney. By mid 1983 AIDS was declared a notifiable disease in Victoria and Dr Ron Lucas, seconded to the CDC from Fairfield Hospital recommended that Fairfield staff warn the homosexual community of the impending illness. In November 1983, Fairfield's Professor Ian Gust began a collaboration with Dr Luc Montagnier of the Pasteur Institute in Paris to develop tests to detect HIV infection. As a result of their success, the Fairfield Hospital Laboratory began regular testing of Australian blood products in 1984, several months before the rest of the world.[11]
The first patient with AIDS was admitted to Fairfield Hospital in April 1984. In October 1984 the first AIDS outpatients clinic at Fairfield Hospital opened on Friday afternoons. Twenty five percent of initial patients were found to be HIV+.[11] During the late 1980s, admission rates to soared to 10,000 a year,[3] as HIV infection rates continue to increase. In 1990 researchers from Fairfield Hospital published findings from two of their studies about HIV resistance to the drug AZT during treatment. Their studies showed that some people with HIV who took AZT developed resistance to the drug and then lost that resistance when treatment was stopped. They suggested that three or more drugs are needed to be used together to treat HIV effectively (also known as combination therapy). [11]
Fairfield Hospital continued to offer care and treatment for patients with HIV and AIDS into the 1990s. In 1991, large public protests were organised against the possible closure of the hospital. However, by 1996 the majority of the hospital's HIV services had been relocated to
AIDS Memorial Garden
In the mid 1980s, the Victorian AIDS Council and the management of Fairfield Hospital proposed the establishment of a garden and walk for the use of Fairfield Hospital patients and their families, particularly those with HIV. An area of river frontage owned by Collingwood Council was initially proposed, however it was eventually decided that a site on hospital grounds was more appropriate.[12] Construction began 1987 with materials and professional services provided by volunteers, donators, the Victorian AIDS Council, Northcote City Council and Fairfield Hospital. The garden featured several Victorian style garden seats which were donated by families who had lost members through AIDS, a gazebo, rockeries and plantings of local indigenous plants and was opened on April 9, 1988.[13]
The garden fell into disrepair following the closure of Fairfield Hospital. As part of the agreement to purchase the bulk of the former hospital's site, NMIT accepted responsibility for the care and maintenance of the garden. However, when construction workers found vials of infectious diseases such as E. coli[14] in the adjacent Yarra House, a strike was called and work on Yarra House (and the memorial garden) ceased.
Initial intentions were that the garden not be a memorial but instead an area of respite and reflection.
Closure and redevelopment
In September 1991 the Report of the Reviews of Infectious Diseases in Victoria authored by the Victorian Health Department under Premier Joan Kirner recommended the relocation of HIV/AIDS services to The Alfred Hospital. Other infectious disease patients were to be cared for by the Royal Melbourne Hospital. In the 1990s, the Victorian Liberal Government of Jeff Kennett pursued the rationalisation of hospital services.[15] Despite strong protests,[3][11][16] the specialised functions of the hospital were transferred to other hospitals and on 30 June 1996 Fairfield Infectious Diseases Hospital closed.[3]
Since closure in 1996 most of the hospital site has been redeveloped. The northern portion of the site including the majority of the hospital buildings were sold to
See also
Notes
- ^ "THE FEVER HOSPITAL.: TO BE OPENED TOMORROW". The Age. No. 15, 464. Victoria, Australia. 30 September 1904. p. 5. Retrieved 22 April 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "INFECTIOUS DISEASES HOSPITAL.:THE FIRST PATIENT". The Age. No. 15, 466. Victoria, Australia. 3 October 1904. p. 9. Retrieved 22 April 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Darebin Historical Encyclopedia. "Fairfield Infectious Diseases Hospital (1904 - 1996)". Darebin Libraries. Archived from the original on 13 September 2009. Retrieved 30 August 2009.
- ^ a b "Fairfield Hospital Group, Yarra Bend Rd, Fairfield, VIC, Australia (Place ID 100230)". Australian Heritage Database. Australian Government. Retrieved 20 October 2009.
- ^ a b c d e Anderson, W.K. (July 2008). "Fairfield Infectious Diseases Hospital". eMelbourne - the city past and present. University of Melbourne. Retrieved 4 September 2009.
- ^ CSL. "The history of CSL Limited". Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2009.
- ^ ISSN 1036-3041. Archived from the original(PDF) on 25 July 2008. Retrieved 11 September 2009.
- ^ "Fairfield Hospital Fifty Years Old". The Age. No. 31, 025. Victoria, Australia. 9 October 1954. p. 8. Retrieved 22 April 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Vivian Bullwinkel: an Australian heroine - timeline Archived 15 October 2010 at the Wayback Machine accessed Feb 14, 2010
- ^ Burnet Institute. "Burnet Institute - History". Archived from the original on 19 September 2008. Retrieved 3 September 2008.
- ^ a b c d e Access Information Centre at The Alfred (November 2003). "Turning 21 the history of HIV in Victoria: a chronology". The Alfred. Archived from the original on 17 October 2009. Retrieved 18 October 2009.
- ^ Cossar, Lynne (16 November 1987). "AIDS Garden". The Herald. p. 3.
- ^ Unknown (22 April 1988). "Fairfield Garden Party". Melbourne Star Observer. p. 1.
- ^ a b Shaw, Andrew (19 July 2002). "Sacred Site". MCV (Melbourne Community Voice). p. 1.
- ^ "Close doors of diseases centre, says Vic report". The Canberra Times. Vol. 71, no. 22, 157. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 16 December 1995. p. 7. Retrieved 22 April 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Miller, Emma (16 December 1995). "Plea to be left in peace". Herald Sun.
References
- W. K. Anderson, Fever Hospital. A History of Fairfield Infectious Diseases Hospital, Melbourne University Publishing, 2002, ISBN 0-522-84964-4