Private surgery clinics in an open medical market: Barcelona, 1880s-1936

Abstract

The main purpose of this article is to examine how a new medical technology – the operating room- resulted in the establishment of a model of private clinics in late 19th – century Barcelona. This research explains that this kind of private medical care happened in an open medical market and successfully met a growing demand. Since its origins in the 1880s, private surgery clinics rose to more than 50 in just half-a-century. Here, several business strategies put at work by those surgeons-entrepreneurs are considered, especially those related to publicity and the search of patients/customers. Several aspects played a paramount role in that success: medical technology, domestic comfort, and surgical efficacy. In a context where medical care delivered at hospital was provided by the city-state or the local bourgeoisie as a part of the medieval model of charity, a potential customer for the private surgery clinics was formed by the urban, popular and working classes through the model of mutual aid societies and health insurance companies. Moreover, private clinics also showed how the process of medical specialization was configured and what kind of relationships surgeons-entrepreneurs established with general practitioners to attract their patients. Here, medical directories and medical journals reveal as a useful source of information.