Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital

The Hôpital universitaire Pitié-Salpêtrière is a celebrated teaching hospital in the 13th arrondissement of Paris. Part of the Assistance publique – Hôpitaux de Paris and a teaching hospital of Sorbonne University, it is one of Europe's largest hospitals.HistoryThe Salpêtrière was originally a gunpowder factory, but in 1656 at the direction of Louis XIV, it was converted into a hospice for the poor of Paris. It served as a prison for prostitutes, and a holding place for the mentally disabled, criminally insane, epileptics, and the poor; it was also notable for its population of rats. Although the Pitié-Salpêtrière was much admired for the architectural ambitions of Libéral Bruant, it provided unsatisfactory living conditions for its inhabitants. The building was enlarged in 1684.On the eve of the Revolution, it had become the world's largest hospital, with a capacity of 10,000 patients plus 300 prisoners, largely prostitutes swept from the streets of Paris. From La Salpêtrière they were paired with convicts and forcibly expatriated to New France.