The Formation of the Swiss Hospital System (1840–1960)

“A very important contribution to a better knowledge and analysis of the history of hospitals in a broader context.” -- Paloma Fernández Pérez, Professor of Economic and Business History, Department of Economic History of Universitat de Barcelona, Spain “In this brilliantly written book, Pierre-Yves Donzé engages in a fascinating research, which describes the beginnings of the modern hospital, through the case of the Vaud hospital system, and the crucial roles of doctors, surgeons, managers and politicians. Donzé profoundly renews our understanding of the origins of a health institution, which profoundly shapes contemporary societies.” -- Vincent Barras, Professor in the History of Medicine at the Université de Lausanne, Switzerland This book offers an analysis of the formation of contemporary hospital systems between the mid-19th century and the mid-20th century. Based on extensive archival material and a broad international literature review, it focuses on the case of the canton of Vaud, Switzerland, and uses a triple approach that discusses technological innovations, hospital management, and health policy. This research is a major contribution to the history of medicine which gives a unique overview of the formation of contemporary hospital systems. Pierre-Yves Donzé is a professor in business history at the Graduate School of Economics, Osaka University, Japan, and a visiting professor at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland. He is a member of the councils of the European Business History Association (EBHA) since 2016 and the Business History Society of Japan since 2017, and a co-editor of the international journal Business History.