Gezicht op het zuidelijke paviljoen van een chirurgisch ziekenhuis in Helsinki before 1890

This photograph depicts the southern pavilion of a surgical hospital in Helsinki, though the photographer remains unknown. The image invites us to consider questions of care and social responsibility. Hospitals are sites where individual vulnerabilities intersect with broader societal structures and values. Who has access to care, and under what conditions? As we consider those cared for here, we might think about class, gender, and race as it relates to public health in Helsinki. Moreover, the image captures a specific architectural moment and its relationship to medical progress and social welfare. It prompts us to reflect on how buildings, like this hospital, shape human experiences and embody changing cultural attitudes toward health, well-being, and the role of institutions in our lives.