The LOST ART OF CONVALESCENCE

Once upon a time, when you took ill with something like tuberculosis, suffered a wound in a great war or had a mental breakdown, the healing process was gradual. You would typically move on from a place of high care after the medical crisis to a place of convalescence where you could be supported and cared for.

In 18th-century England, the wealthy would travel to spa towns like Bath or mountain retreats in Europe to get their prescribed dose of fresh air, nature walks and dips in the freezing ocean. And once people realised that returning to crowded slums in filthy industrial cities compromised the recovery of the poor, reformers and philanthropists created convalescent homes in the country or by the sea, where at least some could recuperate with fresh air, wholesome food and rest, as described by Scottish GP Dr Gavin Francis in his book, Recovery: The Lost(Wellcome Collection).