The Holy Hospital of Charity in Ferrol at the end of the Ancien Regime a sociodemographic analysis

The Holy Hospital of Charity [Santo Hospital de Caridad] was founded by the municipal council of Ferrol in the late 18th century to meet the welfare needs of a growing population attracted by work in the munitions factories. Its hospital services were generally limited to the civilian population, acting as a complement to the services provided to military personnel by the Royal Hospital of Esteiro, run by the Navy Ministry. Analysis of its abundant documentation reveals the relationship between income levels and the demographic dynamics of the city as well as its nature as a medium-level hospital in the context of the northwest Peninsula and the marked preponderance of women among its patients. In addition, the information obtained from sources demonstrates a close link between the welfare services provided by the hospital and the most disadvantaged sectors of Ferrol society, from paupers to people working in traditional trades, domestic service, or low-skilled jobs. Strikingly, the hospital served as the main care institution for the wives of naval personnel, who were not entitled to care at the Esteiro Hospital. The detailed records allow analysis of the frequency
of readmissions within the total number of cases. These rarely rose above three, due to the high mobility that characterized the population of Ferrol. Lastly, the death registers were used to calculate the average number of deaths in relation to income, obtaining slightly higher figures than observed for other institutions in the immediate surroundings. However, this difference can largely be attributed to the better quality of the sources rather than a higher mortality rate.