Health Facilities

Hospitals

A physician visiting the sick in a hospital. German engraving from 1682. A hospital today is an institution for professional health care provided by physicians, nurses and other professionals. Terminology During the Middle Ages the hospital could serve other functions, such as almshouse for the poor, or hostel for pilgrims. The name comes from Latin hospes (host), which is also the root for the English words hotel, hostel, and hospitality. The modern word hotel derives from the Fre ...