[Old picture postcards depicting hospital wards--puzzling similarities]

Picture postcards were as popular in the beginning of the twentieth century as social media is today. Hospital wards were also depicted on them. It is curious to note the similarities between these pictures. This can be explained by developments in the architecture of hospitals. This architecture underwent radical changes in the second half of the nineteenth century: to prevent complications caused by infections, patients were cared for in pavilions. Light, clean air and space did indeed result in a considerable reduction of these complications. The prototype of such a pavilion in the Charité Hospital in Berlin was brought to fruition in many countries. This explains the remarkable uniformity of hospital wards found on old picture postcards.