A history of hospitals in France from the earliest times, through charitable care for the poor by monks and nuns, to their evolution through legislation of the 16th and 17yh centuries. Includes a list of charitable institutions for the care of the poor no longer in existence by Recalde's time, arranged alphabetically by town from Aix to Verdun, and articles drawn from 17th and 18th century legislation, covering  hospital personnel, the keeping of records and accounts, attendance to the sick by doctors, surgeons and their students, bandaging of the wounded, patients’ diet (comprising meat of good quality, bread, cereal, red or white wine or beer, salt, vinegar, eggs, rice, and prunes), hospital beds and linen; spring cleaning (whitewashing, eradicating insects etc.)