National Heart and Lung Institute

The National Heart and the Institute can trace its history back to the emergence of three major London hospitals; the Royal Brompton (1841), The London Chest (1848) and the National Heart (1857). The research arms which developed from these hospitals formally merged in 1973 and became the National Heart and Lung Institute in 1988.

The Brompton Hospital was established as the Hospital for Consumption and Diseases of the Chest in 1841 by Philip Rose, a London Solicitor, and emphasized training and research in the field. From 1843 students visited the wards, and by 1851 lectures were held by the first visiting physician, Theophilus Thompson. In the 1870s regular teaching was undertaken through lectures and demonstrations. This was expanded in 1894, and the hospital recognised by the Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons.
The Brompton Hospital Medical School was founded in 1843, and became known as the Institute for Diseases of the Chest in 1947. In 1972 the Institute for the Diseases of the Chest and the Institute of Cardiology merged to form the Cardiothoracic Institute, and became known as the National Heart and Lung Institute (NHLI) in 1988. Situated next to the Royal Brompton Hospital, the Institute became part of Imperial College in 1995, and part of Imperial College School of Medicine in 1997. The main objective of the Institute is to carry out research, development and education in heart and lung medicine.
The Brompton Hospital Sanatorium was established in 1904 at Frimley in Surrey to treat tuberculosis patients. Dr Marcus Sinclair Paterson (1870-1932) was its first medical superintendant, developing a system of treatment called 'graduated labour', which involved the patients in various levels of physical activity. The treatment caused much interest at the time, and Paterson was contacted by many doctors and health authorities. The sanatorium closed in 1985.
James Edward Pollock (1819-1910) was physician to the Brompton Hospital, 1861-1882, and consulting physician, 1882-1910.
Frederick Rufenacht Walters (1857-1946) was a specialist in tuberculosis, and opened a sanatorium near Farnham in Surrey.