In 1831, spurred by epidemics of malaria and cholera in the late 1820s and early 1830s, which saw the Female Benevolent Society run off its feet, a Kingston citizens’ meeting was held to “take into consideration the building of a public hospital.”
At the meeting, local politicians and well-placed citizens started a subscription list for those willing to donate funds and to petition the colonial government for a grant to establish a hospital. At this time, hospitals were institutions for those who could not afford to be cared for in their homes.
![Initial supporters list](/sites/default/files/styles/1_1_scale_and_crop_x_small/public/legacy/images/milestone/subscription_list.jpg?h=e981f7a7&itok=uYQBY4AN)
![Initial supporters list](/sites/default/files/styles/1_scale_large/public/legacy/images/milestone/subscription_list.jpg?itok=-ayFsEO1)
List of initial supporters of the General Hospital to be built in Kingston