Beginnings

Inspiration for a children’s hospital 

The origins of The Hospital for Sick Children go back to 1874. On December 21, The Globe ran an article announcing grassroots plans to found a paediatric hospital in Toronto. Citing inspiration from The Hospital for Sick Children in London, England (now known as the Great Ormond Street Hospital), a group of Toronto women who had been volunteering their time with needy Torontonians foresaw the need for a dedicated paediatric hospital in downtown Toronto.
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First hospital

Our Ladies Committee, initially led by Elizabeth McMaster, rented a residential house at 31 Avenue Street, on part of the site of where the MaRS Discovery District is today. The house is said to have been two-storeys high, featuring 11 small rooms. Six iron cots, two stoves and other equipment were purchased ahead of a small dedication ceremony held on March 23, 1875.​

First patient

Historical records are thin, but most accounts suggest that although the hospital doors were open, SickKids first patient did not arrive until April 3 – the date SickKids traditionally uses as its birthday.   

Our first patient was a three-year old girl named Maggie, who was brought to our doors by her elder sister.  Maggie had fallen backwards into a tub of hot water and needed treatment for scalding.  The Ladies Committee, which had organized and furnished the building, began their first day as self-taught nurses. 

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Early care by volunteers

Within SickKids' first 16 months of operation, 111 patients were seen, 44 of which were admitted as inpatients.  Care was administered by the volunteer members of the Ladies Committee, with about a dozen local doctors finding a few hours each week to offer expertise.