Cornwall Hospital

Last updated

Cornwall Hospital
U.S. Army
Cornwall Park Hospital, Greenlane, Auckland City.jpg
Aerial view of Cornwall Hospital, September 1959
Cornwall Hospital
Geography
Location Cornwall Park, Auckland, New Zealand
Coordinates 36°53′23″S174°47′02″E / 36.8896829128506°S 174.78387432524687°E / -36.8896829128506; 174.78387432524687
Organisation
Type Military hospital
History
Former name(s)39th United States General Hospital
Opened4 February 1943
Closed1975
Links
Lists Hospitals in New Zealand

Cornwall Hospital was constructed in Cornwall Park, Auckland, New Zealand during World War II by the American Army and was named the 39th United States General Hospital. It accommodated casualties from the war in the Pacific. From 1945 it was leased by the Auckland Hospital Board to provide maternity and geriatric services and closed in 1975.

Contents

History

Plaque in Cornwall Park commemorating construction of US Army 39th General Hospital, October 1942 39th General Hospital, Cornwall Park, Auckland, New Zealand.jpg
Plaque in Cornwall Park commemorating construction of US Army 39th General Hospital, October 1942

In October 1942 the Cornwall Park Trust Board was required, under wartime regulations, to allow the United States Army to establish a hospital on 26 hectares of Cornwall Park. [1] [2] The 39th General Hospital was constructed quickly by Fletcher Construction, opening on 4 February 1943. [3] The hospital consisted of 123 prefabricated buildings, 48 wards, clinic and surgery spaces, staff recreation halls and barracks. Over 1000 patients could be accommodated, and there were more than 60 doctors, 143 nurses and hundreds of auxiliary staff. [1] [2] Patients arrived in Auckland on hospital ships from initial treatment centres in New Caledonia, Espiritu Santo, the New Hebrides (now Vanuatu) and Fiji. [1]

The hospital closed on 20 November 1944. [1] A proposal that the hospital become part of the Auckland Hospital Board was the subject of discussion by the government, Auckland Hospital Board and the Cornwall Park Trust Board. [4] The Cornwall Park trustees had already objected to using the park for anything other than war purposes. [5] It was agreed that the 39th General Hospital buildings would be made available to the Hospital Board for a period of six years, that no further buildings could be erected, and that the government would remove all buildings at the end of six years and restore the land. The Hospital Board, which was short of hospital accommodation at Auckland Hospital, was also required to keep up its building programme so that proposed hospital buildings would be ready for the closure of Cornwall Hospital in December 1950. [6] [7]

The hospital remained open until 1975, housing maternity and geriatric units. [8] [2]

Geriatric care

Care of geriatric patients, and paupers, in Auckland was provided from the late 19th century at Green Lane in the Costley Home for the Aged Poor. In the 1920s the buildings were expanded and the complex known as the Auckland Infirmary. After the war Cornwall Hospital became the geriatric hospital for the whole of Auckland. In 1965 the first geriatric day ward in New Zealand was opened in a modified ward attached to the main hospital complex; it provided assessment and rehabilitation including physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and social contact. [9] In 1975 when Cornwall Hospital closed five geriatric units were attached to each of the major Auckland hospitals. [10] An unpublished personal account of the practice of geriatrics at Cornwall was written by Dr Newman, one of the Medical Superintendents. [11]

Maternity care

During the 1940s there were moves to establish an obstetrical and gynaecological hospital in Auckland, that could also serve as a post-graduate teaching hospital; notable doctors such as Doris Gordon, John Stallworthy, Robert Macintosh and Douglas Robb were instrumental in getting this move off the ground. In 1945 Cornwall Hospital was chosen as the site of an obstetrical unit until a new unit could be built. [12] [13] The first baby was born there on 9 June 1946 in the Obstetrical and Gynaecological Hospital, renamed National Women's Hospital in 1955. [8] By 1963 it was reported in the newspapers that 50,000 births had taken place at Cornwall. [12] In 1964 maternity and gynaecological care was transferred to the new National Women's Hospital building, adjacent to Green Lane Hospital. [8]

Medical superintendents

Dr J.J. Valentine was appointed Medical Superintendent in September 1945. [14] He was succeeded by Dr J.A. Oddie in 1948. [15] When Oddie left in 1949, to return to England, Dr S.C.W. Worseldine from Christchurch took up the position. [16] Dr James Newman took over in 1952, where he established a reputation in geriatric care. He became Medical Superintendent of Green Lane Hospital in 1959. [10] He was succeeded at Cornwall by Dr Ron Barker who was the geriatric physician responsible for setting up Cornwall's day ward. [9] [17]

Nursing staff

Miss V.M. Hyde was matron from 1946 to 1961 and was succeeded by Miss M.M.E. Gordon. [18]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greenlane</span> Suburb in Auckland, New Zealand

Greenlane is a central isthmus suburb in Auckland, New Zealand. It is bounded by Epsom to the west, Newmarket to the north, Remuera to the east and One Tree Hill to the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wellington Hospital, New Zealand</span> Hospital in Wellington, New Zealand

Wellington Hospital, also known as Wellington Regional Hospital, is the main hospital in Wellington, New Zealand, located south of the city centre in the suburb of Newtown. It is the main hospital run by Te Whatu Ora, Capital, Coast and Hutt Valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Auckland City Hospital</span> Hospital in Auckland, New Zealand

Auckland City Hospital is a public hospital located in Grafton, Auckland, New Zealand. It is the largest hospital in New Zealand, as well as one of the oldest medical facilities in the country. It provides a total of 1,165 beds. It was established in 2003 as an amalgam of Auckland Hospital, Starship Hospital, Green Lane Hospital and National Women's Hospital. Public hospitals in Auckland have been run by Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand since 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Middlemore Hospital</span> Hospital in Auckland, New Zealand

Middlemore Hospital is a major public hospital in the suburb of Ōtāhuhu, Auckland, New Zealand. The hospital has approximately 800 beds. There are 24 operating theatres across two sites.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sloane Hospital for Women</span> Hospital in New York, United States

The Sloane Hospital for Women is the obstetrics and gynecology service within NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons (P&S) in New York City. It was founded in 1886 with Columbia P&S as a training and treatment center for obstetrics. It has provided over 100 years of obstetrical care. The hospital is located within Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists</span> Professional organization in Australia and New Zealand

The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG) is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the establishment of high standards of practice in obstetrics and gynaecology and women’s health. The College has a strong focus on women's health advocacy and trains and accredits doctors throughout Australia and New Zealand in the specialties of obstetrics and gynaecology. Its head office is in Melbourne, Australia. It was founded in 1998, with the amalgamation of the Australian and New Zealand organisations.

James Lister Newman was a New Zealand geriatrician and advocate for the elderly, a medical superintendent at Cornwall and Green Lane Hospitals in Auckland, and writer of the Family Doctor column in The New Zealand Herald.

Jessie Ann Scott was a New Zealand medical doctor, medical officer and prisoner of war.

George Marshall McCall Smith (1882–1958) was a Scottish medical doctor, medical superintendent and community leader in New Zealand. He was born in Nairn, Scotland in 1882, emigrating to New Zealand in 1914. For 34 years he ran Rawene Hospital, campaigned for state funding of health and is remembered for creating a health service for the remote Hokianga area.

Nina Catherine Muir was a New Zealand medical doctor.

Eily Elaine Gurr was a New Zealand medical doctor and medical administrator and advocate of the discipline of general practice.

Doris Clifton Gordon was a New Zealand doctor, obstetrician, university lecturer and women's health reformer. She was known as 'Dr Doris', famous for her work in rural general practice, for raising the status of obstetrics, improving obstetrics education of medical students and doctors, and working for the welfare of mothers and children.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Women's Hospital</span> Former public hospital in Auckland, New Zealand

National Women's Hospital, founded in 1955, was a public hospital specialising in obstetrics and gynaecology in Auckland, New Zealand. Initially located in Cornwall Hospital it moved to a purpose built building adjacent to Green Lane Hospital and Cornwall Park from 1964. In 2004 its services moved to Auckland City Hospital.

Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) on Funafuti atoll in Tuvalu is the only hospital in the country, and the primary provider of medical services for all the islands of Tuvalu. The hospital is located about 1.3 kilometres north from the centre of Funafuti on Fongafale islet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cornwall Park, Auckland</span> Parkland in Epsom, Auckland, New Zealand

Cornwall Park is an expansive parkland in Epsom near the heart of Auckland, New Zealand, surrounding the park containing Maungakiekie Pā or the hill of One Tree Hill. The two independent parks form one large park of 670 acres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Counties Manukau District Health Board</span> District health board in Auckland, New Zealand

The Counties Manukau District Health Board was a district health board which focused on providing healthcare to the Counties Manukau area in southern Auckland, New Zealand. As of 2016, it ws responsible for 534,750 residents; or 11% of New Zealand's population. In July 2022, CM Health was merged into the national health service Te Whatu Ora.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Helens Hospitals, New Zealand</span> New Zealand maternity hospitals

The St Helens Hospitals were maternity hospitals located in seven New Zealand cities. They were the first state-run maternity hospitals in the world offering both midwifery services and midwifery training. The first hospital opened in 1905 in Wellington and the last one in Wanganui in 1921. The services of the St Helens Hospitals were gradually incorporated into other hospitals and the last hospital to close was in Auckland in 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reefton Hospital</span> Hospital in Reefton, New Zealand

Reefton Hospital is a hospital in Reefton on the West Coast of New Zealand. It was founded in 1872 and its closure was announced in 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greenlane Clinical Centre</span> Public hospital in Auckland, New Zealand

Greenlane Clinical Centre is a public hospital in Greenlane, Auckland, located on Green Lane West, near Cornwall Park. The hospital is administered by the Northern division of Te Whatu Ora providing outpatient and day surgery services to the Auckland Region. The healthcare facilities at Greenlane have seen many notable developments in New Zealand's healthcare.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green Lane Hospital, Auckland</span> Public hospital in Auckland, New Zealand

Green Lane Hospital in Auckland, New Zealand was a hospital with a national and international reputation for cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery, led by Douglas Robb and Brian Barratt-Boyes. The original hospital, the Costley Home for the Aged Poor, opened in 1890. It was renamed the Auckland Infirmary in 1924 and then Green Lane Hospital in 1942 when it became a general hospital. The hospital's name was sometimes misspelt as Greenlane Hospital. In 2003 it became the Greenlane Clinical Centre when many of the services were moved to Auckland City Hospital.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Maxwell, Ian (July 2015). "39th US Army General Hospital at Cornwall Park". Forts and Works: Thoughts and Words on the Defence of New Zealand. 33: 22. ISSN   1174-0620.
  2. 1 2 3 Nobes, Laura (October 2001). "A Ghost in the Park". Auckland-Waikato Historical Journal. 78: 31–32. ISSN   0111-7653.
  3. ↑ Wensley, Isabella. ""The Yankee Hospital" – The 39th General US Army Hospital". Auckland History Initiative ahi.auckland.ac.nz. Retrieved 2024-11-12.
  4. ↑ "Cornwall Park. Hospital Controversy. Conference Arranged". Auckland Star. 13 December 1944. Archived from the original on 21 August 2019. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  5. ↑ Trustees Protest Archived 2016-02-20 at the Wayback Machine Auckland Star, Volume LXXV, Issue 240, 10 October 1944, Page 6
  6. ↑ "Cornwall Park. Use of hospital. Term of six years". New Zealand Herald. 18 December 1944. Archived from the original on 21 August 2019. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  7. ↑ For six years. Park Hospital. Agreement reached. Archived 2016-02-20 at the Wayback Machine Auckland Star, Volume LXXV, Issue 298, 16 December 1944, Page 6
  8. 1 2 3 Dow, Derek A. (2005). Auckland's hospitals: a pictorial history 1847-2004. [Auckland, N.Z.]: Auckland District Health Board. pp. 37, 39. ISBN   0476014107. OCLC   156777585. Archived from the original on 2023-01-23. Retrieved 2019-09-04.
  9. 1 2 Loten, E.G.; Baskett, J. (27 February 1974). "The Day Ward – Cornwall Geriatric Hospital". New Zealand Medical Journal. 79 (509): 683–685. PMID   4522949.
  10. 1 2 Hutchinson, B.R. (1990). Green Lane Hospital: the first hundred years. Auckland: Green Lane Hospital Centennial Committee. pp. 53–54, 61. OCLC   154625094. Archived from the original on 2023-01-23. Retrieved 2019-09-04.
  11. ↑ Newman, James. 1982. History of the Cornwall Hospital: the development of geriatrics in New Zealand; a history of the hospital over a 30 year period. OCLC 973579261 Archived 2019-08-22 at the Wayback Machine
  12. 1 2 Wakely, Gerald (1963). For the women of New Zealand: the story of the National Women's Hospital: the background, the idea, the chair, the building. Auckland, N.Z.: Auckland Hospital Board. pp. 4–5.
  13. ↑ Gordon, Doris (1958). Doctor down under. London: Faber and Faber. pp. 114–117. OCLC   3444266.
  14. ↑ "Cornwall Hospital. Superintendent's Post". New Zealand Herald. 11 September 1945. Archived from the original on 22 August 2019. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  15. ↑ "Doctors return. Arrival by Akaroa". Ashburton Guardian. 14 February 1948. Archived from the original on 22 August 2019. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  16. ↑ "Ch.ch. doctor to be medical superintendent of Cornwall Hospital". Gisborne Herald. 20 December 1949. Archived from the original on 22 August 2019. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  17. ↑ "Munks Roll Details for Ronald Albert Barker". munksroll.rcplondon.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 2019-08-17. Retrieved 2019-08-19.
  18. ↑ "A chronicle of events and principle appointments". Health and Service. 21 (6): 13, 38. August 1967.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.