The Fairfield Infectious Diseases Hospital was one of the many institutions in the Yarra Bend area which sought to contain and isolate parts of Melbourne's population - in this case, for the purposes of medical treatment. A specialist infectious diseases hospital was been proposed for this site in the 1860s and 1870s, in order to isolate and treat contagious illnesses such as scarlet fever and typhoid, however due to funding difficulties and local residents' objections, it was not until 1897 that construction began. The hospital opened in 1904 as the Queens Memorial Infectious Diseases Hospital, and was expanded in 1914 and again during the 1930s. The hospital's purpose evolved over time, becoming heavily involved in medical research into infectious diseases such as polio, whooping cough, and in the 1980s and 1990s, the hospital became an important centre for research and treatment of HIV/AIDS. The hospital was closed in 1996, with many of the remaining buildings reused by Melbourne Polytechnic when it took over the site in 2004. The AIDS Memorial Garden which was established in April 1988 in the grounds of the hospital remains on the Melbourne Polytechnic campus, and is open to the public Monday-Thursday 7am-10pm and Friday 7am-4pm.
by laurenpiko on March 14, 2019Please login to comment on this item