Why humans should be more like hedgehogs
We used to know all this; 19th-century novels are full of ailing heroines wafting about in nightgowns, delicately sipping broth. A Wellcome Collection online exhibition about the history of convalescence shows how the well-off travelled far and wide to find sun and respite from the horrors of tuberculosis before antibiotics. It also illustrates the stunning profusion of convalescent homes built by the Victorians to fit Florence Nightingale’s prescription of light, air and nature. These elegant, sunny buildings are a world away from today’s clanging, soulless hospitals. You don’t rest in modern hospitals: for a start, they need your bed back. While it’s healthier to get away from infection, there are few equivalent homes today offering true respite except hospices. One result is that readmissions to hospital are higher than they ought to be. [emphasis added]