Presentation

History

Origin of the Bordet Institute

1935 - 1936

Universities, however, asked for more radium to carry out their research. The University Foundation refused, but, Emile Francqui, the president of the University Foundation, rather suggested the creation of a unique national radium institute in Brussels, equipped with 10 grams of radium. That institute would centralize all the resources and allocate them in collaboration with a large hospital.
The Brugmann Hospital was ideal for this project, because it already included the Brussels tumour service on its site.
However, the scope of the project became larger. The project no longer was to create a national radium institute but a national centre for cancer, which would include a Screening Service, a Consultation Service, a Treatment Service and a Research Service.
The project failed, because it might have harmed other centres. For instance, in Leuven, there was already a much bigger radium therapy service than in Brussels !
La direction scientifique serait assurée par l'Université, grâce à un conseil composé de 13 membres (au lieu de 8 en 1925 à Brugmann); la gestion hospitalière serait assurée par la CAP.

Meanwhile, the premises of the Brugmann Hospital were completely inadequate.
On February 15, 1935, the CAP and the ULB decided to build a brand new establishment on the site of the St-Pierre Hospital on the Waterloo Boulevard. The association was concluded for at least 30 years and more, it turned out to be possible.
The new association -which still exists today- had a triple mission : firstly, the admission of patients by a team of physicians specialized in various disciplines, but who share the same approach to the disease, secondly, the conduct of medical research to better fight against cancer, and finally, the teaching of therapeutic and research methods.
This location was seen as more centralized from an urban point of view than that of the Brugmann Hospital in Jette. Moreover, it was closer to the laboratories of the medical school that had been inaugurated in 1930, to the general services of the St Pierre university hospital (whose new buildings would be inaugurated in 1935), to the university school of hospital nurses, and to the school of home nurses. (Both appellations for nurses no longer exist. A "hospital nurse" used to work in a hospital, whereas a "home nurse" used to work in home care. Later on, the term "home nurse" was replaced by another term meaning "health visitor"; whereas the term "hospital nurse" was replaced by the term "graduate hospital nurse", as opposed to a "certificated nurse". Nowadays, the term "graduate nurse" is used).

The university would be in charge of the scientific direction, thanks to its 13-member council (instead of the 8 members at the Brugmann Hospital in 1925), whereas the CAP would be responsible for the hospital management.

The new institute would include a section for "paying patients" and a tumour service called the "Jules Bordet Institute". The CAP had suggested Jules Bordet's name on June 21, 1935. In fact, from 1924, Jules Bordet had participated in the scientific direction of the tumor center. He had won renown because of his research on microbiology, which received a Nobel Prize in 1919, and thanks to his teaching skills.
The section for the "non-destitute" would be called "Clinique Médico-Chirurgicale Paul Héger" in memory of the former Chairman of the Administrative Board of the ULB who bound the ULB and the CAP together and who participated in the development of the first tumour centre.
This clinic would be completely distinct from the rest. It would have a separate entrance and would allow the wealthy to be treated by the physicians of their choice, in return for fees.
The CAP would be entirely in charge of the management of this clinic.
Thanks to the National Cancer Foundation, the Bordet Institute would have 6 grams of radium at its disposal.

Until 1925 state-run hospitals were exclusively reserved for the destitute. So, it was the first time that a state-run institution in Brussels would include a clinic for the treatment of "paying patients".

The buildings would have the shape of an "L". One part (the H-wing) would be reserved for hospitalisation and the other one (the T-wing) for treatments.
On May 30, 1935, after a contest organized by the CAP, two architects, Gaston Brunfaut and Stanislas Jasinski, were chosen. Both architects worked in harmony: G. Brunfaut was in charge of the H-wing and S. Jasinski of the T-wing.
The construction of the building shell and the completion works were attributed to the company S.A. Gve Mommaerts et Cie, for an amount of 297.780 euros (11.911.138 old Belgian francs).
The costs of the constructions, the equipment, and the furnishing were estimated at some 20.078.000 old Belgian francs (501.950 euros), without the building land.
A devaluation of the Belgian franc in January 1936, however, forced both architects to exclude any kind of luxury for the construction and to cancel, among others, the special wing that had been planned for consultations at the corner of the "rue Breughel" on the Waterloo boulevard.

As this text on the origin of the Bordet Institute is too long for a rapid download, please discover the following sections by clicking on the links on the left of this page or on the links below:
• 1822 to 1934
• 1935 and 1936 : this text above !
• Projects
• Inauguration
• Slide Show

 

We would like to thank M. Guilardian who is in charge of the archives of the CPAS (Belgian social assistance system) for the pictures and texts he kindly put at our disposal.