London, England/london2I-350
Previous | Home | NextOn exhibition in the hallway of the entrance of the modern hospital are the famous "Cripples," which occupied niches in the stonework of the front courtyard of the Old St. Thomas Hospital in Southwark {LINK: London2J-002}, which was a charity hospital. They marble statues were carved from marble in 1681 by the official hospital's stonemason, Thomas Cartwright, and have become eroded over the centuries. They are now protected from the elements in these cases. The next four photos present the "Cripples" individually. Each represents a different station and circumstance in life, moving up socially as one proceeds to the right. Medieval hospitals would be dedicated to the blind, unwedded women in childbirth, the lame and sick travelers and soldiers, shipwrecked sailors, poor pilgrims, the homeless, and the aged.
