Healing the body and saving the soul in the portuguese hospitals in the Early Modern Age

From early days, the Misericordias’ work in the health sector took the form of hospital assistance, helping to treat the ailments of the body. However, the work of these brotherhoods in the area of health was more extensive than this and included all those who did not wish to or could not be admitted to hospital. They helped them by tending to the sick at home, sending health professionals or by giving money, food and even clothing. In this study, we aim to analyse and discuss the charity services that the Portuguese Misericordias provided for patients throughout the Modern Age, both through the hospitals they administered and the home assistance they provided. We will also find out how the hospitals operated during that period. At the beginning of the Modern Age, faced with the welfare institutions’ incapacity to respond effectively to the needs of the poor, it was clear that a reform was needed that would involve joining hospitals, keeping a record of their assets, appointing new administrators and creating income and expenses records. In Portugal, this change took place during the 15 and 16 centuries, underwent various levels of reform and began with the hospitals. The process was autonomous and preceded the appearance of the Misericordias. The welfare establishments were in a very poor state and did not meet the needs of a poor and growing population. The hospitals were not only very small but also badly run. Their income was used for purposes for which it had not been intended and the institutions lacked supervision. Some of the brotherhoods that ran hospitals