Royal Sea Bathing Hospital

The Royal Sea Bathing Hospital in Margate, Kent was founded in 1791 by Dr John Coakley Lettsom, a Quaker physician and philanthropist, for the treatment of scrofula.
The hospital was one of the earliest—if not the earliest—specialist orthopaedic hospital in the UK, and pioneered the use of open-air treatment for patients with non-pulmonary tuberculosis. Patients received a variety of treatments, with a central focus on providing patients with the supposed clinical benefits of sunshine, fresh air and sea bathing.