“The Regimental Paediatrician”: the New Children’s Hospital

Excerpt

In about 1944, planning for the new children’s hospital started in earnest and drawings were produced. At that time, the National Swedish Board of Health did not have much to offer in the way of “templates” for children’s hospitals, but we got hold of some kind of guide and a firm of architects came up with drawing after drawing. There was a lot to discuss and correct and draw again. Everything seemed to be progressing quite well though, at least until we sat down and started thinking about the scale of the thing—the actual measurements. In those days, architects laboured under the apprehension—as the chaps at the county councils often still do—that because children are small patients, they do not take up much space and the rooms can be made smaller. Money was also tight after the war, and the authorities were keen to shrink the square footage. I fought a tough but unequal battle. The building was well designed but the dimensions were too small. If we had increased the length of the building by 8 m and its width by 3 to 4 m, it would have been fine. But as it was, it was something of a doll’s house—with forty beds. …