| Description | This collection contains the administrative papers of Saint Ultan's Hospital from its foundation in 1919 to the closure of the hospital in 1984. There is also a small amount of material relating to the National BCG Committee, including annual reports and some photographs, which was based at the hospital.
The main types of records in this collection are the hospital's annual reports and minute books of the Hospital's Board and Committees. These give an invaluable insight into the administration and management of the hospital throughout its existence, and show the development of the hospital over time. There are also some records relating to the proposed merger of Saint Ultan's with the National Children's Hospital in the 1930s and the hospital's Golden Jubilee in 1969. As well as the administrative papers, the collection contains publicity and photographic material relating to the hospital. These include an extensive collection of newspaper cuttings showing the public profile of the hospital and its founders, and two photograph albums which provide a visual insight into the first decade of the hospitals existence. |
| History | The establishment of Saint Ultan's Hospital was the result of the activity of a group of female doctors and activists, who were deeply concerned at the high level of infant mortality in Dublin, along with the rise of infant syphilis in the wake of the First World War. A central figure in the establishment of the hospital was Dr Kathleen Lynn. A committee, Cóiste Cosanta na hÉireann, was founded in May 1918 to establish the hospital, and the members worked hard to raise funds and find a suitable site. The hospital opened at 37 Charlemont Street on Ascension Thursday, 29 May 1919. The name St. Ultan's related to the seventh century Saint Ultan of Ardbraccan, bishop of Meath, who cared for the children of Meath during an outbreak of yellow plague.
The organisational structure of the hospital was provided for in its constitution. The main governing institution was the Hospital Board, which had absolute control of the management of the hospital. Under the board the constitution provided for four committees; Medical, Nursing, Lay (renamed House) and Finance, which could be established as the needs of the hospital grew. It is also clear that there was an Amusements Committee which was responsible for raising much needed funds for the hospital, unfortunately no records of this committee have survived. As the hospital grew and circumstances changed two additional committees where established; the Saint Ultan's Hospital Utility Society (1933) and the Kathleen Lynn Memorial Committee (1956).
Saint Ultan's was at the fore front of the fight against Tuberculosis in Ireland. Dr Dorothy Price had pioneered the introduction of the BCG vaccine to Ireland, and proved its effectiveness at Saint Ultan's. In 1949 Saint Ultan's opened a dedicated BCG Centre, and when the National BCG Committee was established by Noel Brown, Minister for Health it was based at Saint Ultan's with Dr Price as its chair.
Saint Ultan's continued to grow with the opening of the Dr Kathleen Lynn Surgical Ward in 1965, the result of the Memorial Committee's fundraising. However, by the 1980s plans for the restructuring of hospital provision in Dublin were threatening Saint Ultan's, which resulted in its eventual closure in 1984. A fund was established to deal with the assets of the former hospital, with money raised going to other Irish hospitals and the hospital's administrative papers to the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland. |