 
Early medicine concerned the powers of spiritual leaders and sacred sites. The first hospitals were essentially places to receive divine help. In Greece and elsewhere, for example, illness was treated by "incubation," or sleeping in a holy place. Bathing in certain waters was also thought to be curative, and this belief may have been the origin of modern health spas. In later times, Greek doctors - Hippocrates being the most famous - were instrumental in pushing the science of medicine forward. Roman hospitals based largely on Greek medicine were first established around 100 BC to treat injured and ill soldiers.
The rise of Christianity helped to transform hospitals into the care facilities we know today. In the 6th century AD, the Hôtel-Dieu of Lyon opened. It had a large hall lined with beds and emphasized treating the patient, not just the ailment. Monastic infirmaries in Europe and elsewhere cared for monks and outsiders alike. At the end of the Middle Ages, civil authorities increasingly assumed responsibility for healthcare. By the turn of the 16th century, England alone had more than 200 secular hospitals.
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