From Sick Bed to Death Bed? Patient Composition and Mortality in the Amsterdam Binnengasthuis, 1856-1896

Hospitals played a central role in the nineteenth century, as these institutions were the so-called gateways to death or places of healing. Who was admitted and if there is inequality in who died is, however, often understudied. Our study examines the development and mortality risks of the patient population in the Binnengasthuis in Amsterdam over time by analysing detailed patient records of people admitted to the hospital in the period 1856-1896. Our results demonstrate that mortality was not extremely high and depended on the admission policy, the composition of the patient populations was very diverse, and that mortality risks were mainly determined by the disease, year, age, and marital status of the admitted patients. This indicates that a diverse population could get a sick bed, for most it would not become their death bed, and that inequality in mortality risks within the hospital based on socioeconomic status or religion was limited.