Radcliffe Infirmary
Encyclopedia
The Radcliffe Infirmary was a hospital in central Oxford
, England
, located at the southern end of Woodstock Road on the western side, backing onto Walton Street
. The Radcliffe Infirmary, named after physician
John Radcliffe, opened in 1770 and was Oxford's first hospital. It was finally closed in 2007.
In 1758, the initial proposals to build a hospital in Oxford were put forward at a meeting of the Radcliffe Trustees, who were administering John Radcliffe's estate. £4000 was made available for the new hospital, which was constructed on land given by Thomas Rowney, one of the two Members of Parliament
for Oxford
.
The fountain in front of the main infirmary building was introduced in 1858 and is of the Greek god Triton
.
A number of pioneering moments in medical history occurred at the hospital. Penicillin
was first tested on patients on 27 January 1941. The first Utah Array (later known as the BrainGate
) implantation in a human (Kevin Warwick
) took place on 14 March 2002.
The site was the location of the Oxford Eye Hospital.
The Infirmary was acquired by the University of Oxford
in 2003 and closed for medical use in 2007 with services being transferred to purpose-built buildings at the John Radcliffe
and Churchill Hospitals in nearby Headington
. The site has been earmarked to consolidate the senior administrative offices of the University of Oxford
.
It is being redeveloped by the University as the Radcliffe Observatory Quarter
, with planning permission
approval in 2009.
The Woodstock Road entrance of the hospital was frequently seen in the ITV
television series Inspector Morse
.
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, located at the southern end of Woodstock Road on the western side, backing onto Walton Street
Walton Street
Walton Street is on the eastern edge of the Jericho district of central Oxford, England.- Overview :The street runs north from the western end of Beaumont Street and northern end of Worcester Street by the main entrance of Worcester College. Somerville College, one of the former women's colleges,...
. The Radcliffe Infirmary, named after physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
John Radcliffe, opened in 1770 and was Oxford's first hospital. It was finally closed in 2007.
In 1758, the initial proposals to build a hospital in Oxford were put forward at a meeting of the Radcliffe Trustees, who were administering John Radcliffe's estate. £4000 was made available for the new hospital, which was constructed on land given by Thomas Rowney, one of the two Members of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Oxford
Oxford (UK Parliament constituency)
Oxford was a parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom. It comprised the city of Oxford in the county of Oxfordshire, and elected two Members of Parliament from its creation in 1295 until 1881...
.
The fountain in front of the main infirmary building was introduced in 1858 and is of the Greek god Triton
Triton (mythology)
Triton is a mythological Greek god, the messenger of the big sea. He is the son of Poseidon, god of the sea, and Amphitrite, goddess of the sea, whose herald he is...
.
A number of pioneering moments in medical history occurred at the hospital. Penicillin
Penicillin
Penicillin is a group of antibiotics derived from Penicillium fungi. They include penicillin G, procaine penicillin, benzathine penicillin, and penicillin V....
was first tested on patients on 27 January 1941. The first Utah Array (later known as the BrainGate
BrainGate
BrainGate is a brain implant system developed by the bio-tech company Cyberkinetics in 2008 in conjunction with the Department of Neuroscience at Brown University. The Braingate technology and related Cyberkinetic’s assets are now owned by privately held Braingate, LLC...
) implantation in a human (Kevin Warwick
Kevin Warwick
Kevin Warwick is a British scientist and professor of cybernetics at the University of Reading, Reading, Berkshire, United Kingdom...
) took place on 14 March 2002.
The site was the location of the Oxford Eye Hospital.
The Infirmary was acquired by the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
in 2003 and closed for medical use in 2007 with services being transferred to purpose-built buildings at the John Radcliffe
John Radcliffe Hospital
The John Radcliffe Hospital is a large tertiary teaching hospital in Oxford, England.It is the main teaching hospital for Oxford University and Oxford Brookes University. As such, it is a well-developed centre of medical research. It also incorporates the Medical School of the University of Oxford....
and Churchill Hospitals in nearby Headington
Headington
Headington is a suburb of Oxford, England. It is at the top of Headington Hill overlooking the city in the Thames Valley below. The life of the large residential area is centred upon London Road, the main road between London and Oxford.-History:...
. The site has been earmarked to consolidate the senior administrative offices of the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
.
It is being redeveloped by the University as the Radcliffe Observatory Quarter
Radcliffe Observatory Quarter
The Radcliffe Observatory Quarter is a major University of Oxford development project in Oxford, England, in the estate of the old Radcliffe Infirmary hospital.The site, covering 10 acres is in central north Oxford...
, with planning permission
Planning permission
Planning permission or planning consent is the permission required in the United Kingdom in order to be allowed to build on land, or change the use of land or buildings. Within the UK the occupier of any land or building will need title to that land or building , but will also need "planning...
approval in 2009.
The Woodstock Road entrance of the hospital was frequently seen in the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
television series Inspector Morse
Inspector Morse (TV series)
Inspector Morse is a detective drama based on Colin Dexter's series of Chief Inspector Morse novels. The series starred John Thaw as Chief Inspector Morse and Kevin Whately as Sergeant Lewis. Dexter makes a cameo appearance in all but three of the episodes....
.
External links
- Radcliffe Infirmary information and history from the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals website
- Radcliffe Infirmary Site Summary Information from the NHSNational Health ServiceThe National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
- Oxford Eye Hospital — Radcliffe Infirmary including directions