Sunday Scribblings #82: Hospital


hospital
1242, "shelter for the needy," from O.Fr. hospital "hostel," from L.L. hospitale "guest-house, inn," neut. of L. adj. hospitalis "of a guest or host," from hospes (gen. hospitis); see host (1). Later "charitable institution to house and maintain the needy" (1418); sense of "institution for sick people" is first recorded 1549. Hospitalize is from 1901, "Freq(uently) commented on as an unhappy formation" [OED].


My translation: that which occupies much of your time during a period in your life when you would rather be at home in your own bed instead of poked and prodded to the point of being more physically ill than when you entered the building. Should the surroundings not cause you discomfort, the bill will certainly bring on heart failure.

I have seen my share of them.
(Much thanks to Cartoonstock.com. If you would like to see the images that they have available, please feel free to visit them. YES, Autrice violated copyright law and "borrowed" the cartoon.)

7 responded with...:

paisley said...

i am unsure of my source,, but i remember hearing that hospitals originated as a place to house the communicably diseased and the insane....

no wonder no one wants to go there....

Gill said...

LOL Love the cartoon! I have had my share of teaching hospital moments!

Tumblewords: said...

Cartoon - great satire and honesty. I can't imagine anyone wanting to go to the hospital but we all end up there one way or 'nother. Nice post!

Patois42 said...

Your definitions and descriptions of hospitals underscore the dread we feel at their mention for anything other than having a baby.

Anonymous said...

I too have had my share of Hospitals. May be not.

Who knows?

John E. Tran said...

Nice translation... how true!

Annie Jeffries said...

Very true. I avoid hospitals like the plague, mainly because I've seen the results of stays leaving you worse than when you entered.