The People's Hospital: A History of McCords, Durban, 1890s-1970s

Julie Parle, Vanessa Noble

This looks at the story of one of Durban’s most important medical institutions. With its origins linked to medical missionaries, Dr James McCord and his wife Margaret, McCords has always had a reputation of being a compassionate institution, willing to fight the good fight on behalf of the less fortunate. Over the years it has stood up to the apartheid government that sought to remove what it deemed to be a ‘black’ hospital in a ‘white’ area; has been a vital learning institution, producing number of pioneering African nurses; and has provided general support to the community in the form of health and social upliftment programmes.

health durban