title: Henry Currey FRIBA (1820-1900): leading Victorian hospital architect, and early exponent of the "pavilion principle".
abstract: The "pavilion plan" for hospital design originated in France in the 18th century and was popularised in England by John Roberton and George Godwin in the mid-19th century; the underlying rationale was that with improved ventilation the mortality rate (at that time exceedingly high) was significantly reduced. Among the enthusiasts for this new style was Florence Nightingale (herself a miasmatist)--who had experienced astronomically high death rates in the hospital at Scutari during the Crimean War (1854-6). One of the leading exponents of this style of hospital architecture was Henry Currey (1820-1900) whose greatest achievement was undoubtedly the design for the new St Thomas's Hospital on the Lambeth Palace Road.
authors.affiliation: Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at UCL, 183 Euston Road, London, NW1 2BE, UK. g.cook@ucl.ac.uk
authors.forename: G C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Cook
mesh_terms: D001108:Architecture / Q000266:history*; D004739:England; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006749:Hospital Design and Construction / Q000266:history*; D006801:Humans; D008131:London