Pavilhão Cirúrgico Novo Sanatório

This is ‘Pavilhão Cirúrgico Novo Sanatório’. It is the surgery building of a sanatorium in Portugal. It was built in 1902 and abandoned almost 100 years later.

This sanatorium had all the latest technology for the treatment of tuberculosis. It was part of the biggest health center in Portugal. The town had 20 sanatoriums in its best days. This Surgical Pavilion was probably the last of all sanatoriums that were built there. It was called ‘Novo Sanatório’, or New Sanatorium.

It was built after the idea that the surgery area should be separated from the other buildings, where patients were recovering. This way, patients were not confronted with the less pleasant aspects of the once complicated process of curing tuberculosis. Surgery of tuberculosis was a rather radical solution for people that did not respond to conventional treatments. Surgery was very complicated and had a high mortality rate. Both during and after the surgery.

Not only surgery, but also x-rays and micro-radiographs, were done here. It also had one of the first automated laundries that allowed better disinfection of bedding.

Improvements in sanitation, vaccination, and antibiotics began significantly reducing rates of tuberculosis in the 1970s. As a result, sanatoria closed and became abandoned.

These photos of the ‘Pavilhão Cirúrgico Novo Sanatório’ were taken in 2018. Also check the other sanatoriums in Portugal here, here and here.