Middlemarch

Middlemarch

by

George Eliot

New Hospital Symbol Icon

The New Hospital is established by Nicholas Bulstrode (who finances and manages it) and Tertius Lydgate (who serves as the medical director) as a way to raise the standard of medical care in Middlemarch. They plan to conduct research there and even hope to open an affiliated medical school one day. The New Hospital is thus designed to be a cutting-edge institution in the midst of a largely backwards, provincial area that tends to be resistant to technological progress and reform. The resistance of the local people makes it difficult for the New Hospital to flourish; none of the Middlemarch doctors will work there, and Lydgate thus has to employ people from outside the area. Ultimately the financial scandal that drives both Bulstrode and Lydgate from Middlemarch dooms the hospital to failure, and after this point it is attached to the Old Infirmary. Even without the scandal, however, it is unclear whether the New Hospital would have been able to survive. It symbolizes the difficulty of progress in an area where most people are skeptical of reform. While Bulstrode, Lydgate, and Dorothea have great hopes for the hospital, most of the characters are still too attached to the old way of doing things to see the advantages a new institution could bring.

New Hospital Quotes in Middlemarch

The Middlemarch quotes below all refer to the symbol of New Hospital. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Women and Gender Theme Icon
).
Book 2, Chapter 13 Quotes

‘The standard of that profession is low in Middlemarch, my dear sir,’ said the banker. ‘I mean in knowledge and skill; not in social status, for our medical men are most of them connected with respectable townspeople here. My own imperfect health has induced me to give some attention to those palliative resources which the divine mercy has placed within our reach. I have consulted eminent men in the metropolis, and I am painfully aware of the backwardness under which medical treatment labours in our provincial districts.’

Related Characters: Mr. Nicholas Bulstrode (speaker), Tertius Lydgate
Related Symbols: New Hospital
Page Number: 125
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 5, Chapter 44 Quotes

The immediate motive to the opposition, however, is the fact that Bulstrode has put the medical direction into my hands. Of course I am glad of that. It gives me an opportunity of doing some good work - and I am aware that I have to justify his choice of me. But the consequence is, that the whole profession in Middlemarch have set themselves tooth and nail against the Hospital, and not only refuse to co-operate themselves, but try to blacken the whole affair and hinder subscriptions.

Related Characters: Tertius Lydgate (speaker), Mr. Nicholas Bulstrode
Related Symbols: New Hospital
Page Number: 439
Explanation and Analysis:
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New Hospital Symbol Timeline in Middlemarch

The timeline below shows where the symbol New Hospital appears in Middlemarch. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Book 1, Chapter 10
Women and Gender Theme Icon
Ambition and Disappointment Theme Icon
Community and Class Theme Icon
Progress and Reform Theme Icon
...Bulstrode welcomes it, saying he hopes Lydgate will one day be in charge of the New Hospital in Middlemarch. One man expresses fear about being subject to experimental treatments. Lydgate himself, who... (full context)
Book 2, Chapter 13
Ambition and Disappointment Theme Icon
Community and Class Theme Icon
Progress and Reform Theme Icon
Money and Greed Theme Icon
...in Middlemarch. He is currently with Lydgate in his office at the bank, discussing the New Hospital . Lydgate hopes that having a good fever hospital in Middlemarch could pave the way... (full context)
Ambition and Disappointment Theme Icon
Community and Class Theme Icon
Progress and Reform Theme Icon
Money and Greed Theme Icon
...Farebrother, but that he wants someone named Mr. Tyke to be appointed chaplain of the New Hospital . Lydgate says that as a doctor he has no opinion on this, but Bulstrode... (full context)
Book 2, Chapter 17
Ambition and Disappointment Theme Icon
Community and Class Theme Icon
Progress and Reform Theme Icon
...who he thinks are a “narrow ignorant set.” At the same time, he thinks the New Hospital will be good for the community. Lydgate asks Farebrother why Bulstrode doesn’t like him, and... (full context)
Book 3, Chapter 27
Women and Gender Theme Icon
Ambition and Disappointment Theme Icon
Progress and Reform Theme Icon
...being a little in love,” because he remains convinced that he cannot marry until the New Hospital is finally established. Rosamond, however, believes this is really love and fantasizes of being married.... (full context)
Book 5, Chapter 43
Women and Gender Theme Icon
Ambition and Disappointment Theme Icon
Community and Class Theme Icon
Progress and Reform Theme Icon
...who looks stunning in a pale blue dress, tells Dorothea that Lydgate is at the New Hospital . Dorothea suddenly notices that Will is also in the room; he asks if he... (full context)
Book 5, Chapter 44
Women and Gender Theme Icon
Ambition and Disappointment Theme Icon
Community and Class Theme Icon
Progress and Reform Theme Icon
Money and Greed Theme Icon
...Lydgate has told her about this, and promises to give £200 a year to the New Hospital , as she has too much money anyway. Later she asks Casaubon about giving £200... (full context)
Book 5, Chapter 45
Ambition and Disappointment Theme Icon
Community and Class Theme Icon
Progress and Reform Theme Icon
Money and Greed Theme Icon
A rumor spreads that Lydgate intends to let patients at the New Hospital die on purpose so he can use their cadavers for medical experiments. Lydgate’s decision not... (full context)
Ambition and Disappointment Theme Icon
Community and Class Theme Icon
Progress and Reform Theme Icon
The New Hospital will be dedicated to fever. Lydgate will be “chief medical superintendent” with final decision-making power.... (full context)
Book 7, Chapter 63
Women and Gender Theme Icon
Ambition and Disappointment Theme Icon
Community and Class Theme Icon
Progress and Reform Theme Icon
Money and Greed Theme Icon
...Toller’s Christmas dinner party, he and Farebrother discuss Lydgate, who is very busy at the New Hospital these days, preparing a new cholera ward. Toller is disdainful of Lydgate’s efforts, and some... (full context)
Book 7, Chapter 64
Women and Gender Theme Icon
Ambition and Disappointment Theme Icon
Community and Class Theme Icon
Progress and Reform Theme Icon
Money and Greed Theme Icon
Rosamond angrily points out that Bulstrode should pay Lydgate for his work at the New Hospital , but Lydgate says he agreed to do it for free from the beginning. He... (full context)
Book 7, Chapter 67
Ambition and Disappointment Theme Icon
Community and Class Theme Icon
Progress and Reform Theme Icon
Money and Greed Theme Icon
...business and to move to the coast. Given this, he plans to withdraw from the New Hospital , which leads Lydgate to believe that Bulstrode must have lost a lot of money.... (full context)
Ambition and Disappointment Theme Icon
Community and Class Theme Icon
Progress and Reform Theme Icon
Money and Greed Theme Icon
...is in Yorkshire with Sir James and Celia. Lydgate says that his association with the New Hospital has made him unpopular as a doctor, and most of his patients can’t pay him... (full context)
Book 7, Chapter 71
Ambition and Disappointment Theme Icon
Community and Class Theme Icon
Progress and Reform Theme Icon
Money and Greed Theme Icon
...Farebrother go to see Dorothea and tell her the shocking news about Lydgate and the New Hospital . Dorothea says she cannot believe that Lydgate is guilty, and that they must prove... (full context)
Book 8, Chapter 76
Women and Gender Theme Icon
Ambition and Disappointment Theme Icon
Community and Class Theme Icon
Progress and Reform Theme Icon
Money and Greed Theme Icon
...his face, and she is shocked at how terrible he looks. When Dorothea mentions the New Hospital , Lydgate says that he is not in a position to give advice about whether... (full context)
Women and Gender Theme Icon
Ambition and Disappointment Theme Icon
Community and Class Theme Icon
Progress and Reform Theme Icon
Money and Greed Theme Icon
Dorothea suggests that Lydgate stay and keep up his work at the New Hospital while waiting for the rumors to die down. She says he might even one day... (full context)
Women and Gender Theme Icon
Ambition and Disappointment Theme Icon
Community and Class Theme Icon
Progress and Reform Theme Icon
Money and Greed Theme Icon
...hear that Dorothea still holds him in high esteem. However, he also says that the New Hospital should be merged with the Old Infirmary, and thus handed over to someone else. He... (full context)