Milestones through 140 years

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

SickKids has been at the forefront of children's health for 140 years, solving mysteries and saving lives. Murdoch Mysteries two-hour holiday special with a connection to SickKids on Monday, December 21 at 8 p.m.

THE HOSPITAL FOR SICK CHILDREN OPENS ITS DOORS

In the year 1875, a certain Mrs. Elizabeth McMaster made an elementary deduction: given that over the previous 50 years almost half of recorded deaths in Toronto were those of children under 10, something had to be done. Compassionate of heart and clear of eye, Mrs. McMaster (in concert with a group of equally forward-thinking women) opened a hospital on rented premises 'for the admission and treatment of all sick children', regardless of their financial condition. Strength of character, conviction and six iron cots formed the foundation of the noble enterprise that was to become The Hospital for Sick Children.

FROM 16 BEDS TO 320

A genuine metropolis – as bustling Toronto was fast becoming – was in need of a more suitable children's hospital. With John Ross Robertson, publisher of the Evening Telegram at the helm of the Hospital's Board of Trustees, the Hospital assumed a new premises: an airy, four-storey edifice on College St with room for 320 beds, designed on the most up-to-date principles for the promotion of health. continue timeline