Hospital at Cheribon (1778 –1868)

In 1778 there was some talk of a new hospital at Cheribon, but the new buildings were needed to replace some health care provisions within the local fortification that had to be pulled down. Eventually, the new hospital was realized, for a few decades later Governor General H. W. Daendels issued an instruction for the “schrijver en hospitaalmeester” of the hospital at Cheribon.[1]

Much later on in the 19^th century this hospital was replaced by a Stadsverband, by which the  municipality of Cheribon took care of the patients among its population. Schoute (Occidental Therapeutics, p. 163) dates the origin of the Stadsverband in the year 1868 and defines Stadsverband as: “municipal dressing stations, houses where wounded and sick were dressed and soon also received for treatment.”  (See Gouvernementsbesluit of 1 April 1870 no. 15 and 11 Maart 1899 no. 13.

Cheribon (Cirebon) was in the 1930s a Residency, regency and district in the  province of West Java. Its inhabitants were about 2 million,of whom 3,400 Europeans and 34,000 Chinese. The Residency is situated in a very fertile region, in the north low lnds inthe south mountainous, a continuation of the Preanger mountains. The capital Cheribon (Cirebon) had 52,000 inhabitants of whom 1,500 Europeans. In the 1930s the city had a municipal council and a mayor. Cheribon was a vassal state of Mataram, when the VOC company was negotiating a contract with the three reigning princes in 1681. Cheribon remained vassal state and this situation was continued unchanged untilthe beginning of the 19th century.In 1803 a smouldering revolt under the population was pacified by the governor of the Northeast coast of Java, Nicolaus Engelhard. In 1813  the British abolished the administration of the sultans.

In KV 1873 it is mentioned that restauration took place to ameliorate the builings. The hospital is also mentioned in the annual  report of 1902.

[1] Van der Chijs, Volume XIV, p. 821-822.