L’Hôpital Rothschild, Berck Plage, Pas-de-Calais

In 1872, James Edouard de Rothschild (1844-1881) founded a hospital at Berck-sur-mer in the Pas de Calais which he named after his late father, Nathaniel. James Edouard died just ten years after the foundation of the hospital, which nevertheless benefited from the devotion to it of his widow, Laura Thérèse.

The hospital took on a therapeutic role in the treatment of tuberculosis. Hospitals and benevolent institutes were created to cater for the sick and those in need of rest and recuperation. The hospital specialised in the care of children, using the thalassotherapeutic cure discovered in the region. The Berck dispensary was founded in 1892 by Henri de Rothschild (1872-1947), James Edouard's son. A wide range of medical services were established such as dentistry and surgery, although the dispensary specialised in the care and nourishment of infants. In fact, this aspect of the service became independent in 1904, in which year alone 192,741 litres of sterilised milk were dispensed.

The L’Hôpital Rothschild was one of a number established on the coast at Berck Plage, where the sea air was thought to be particularly beneficial to health and recovery. The Cazin-Perrochaud Hospital was founded by the Franciscan nuns; it was the third hospital to be established at Berck-Plage, in premises of the Grand Hotel. It welcomed about a hundred children in the first year of its opening, in 1894. It then expanded to 450 beds and in 1915 became a hospital for the care of the wounded.