A nurse placing linen into a steriliser in the isolation block, St Helier Hospital, Sutton, Greater London
Soiled linen was put in a steriliser in the isolation block. Once it had been cleaned it was removed from the steriliser at the other end, outside the isolation block. This in-out method of sterilisation was used to help prevent the spread of infectious diseases. At the start of the 20th century, before the invention of antibiotics, there were several infectious diseases that affected many people’s daily lives. The three main ones that required treatment in isolation hospitals were Tuberculosis (TB), Scarlet Fever & Polio. The hospital was commissioned in 1934, as part of the St Helier council estate. Queen Mary laid the foundation stone for the new hospital in March 1938 and it received its first patients in February 1941.
