This book offers an analysis of the formation of contemporary hospital systems between the mid-19th century and the mid-20th century. Based on extensive archival material and a broad international literature review, it focuses on the case of the canton of Vaud, Switzerland, and uses a triple approach that discusses technological innovations, hospital management, and health policy. This research is a major contribution to the history of medicine which gives a unique overview of the formation of contemporary hospital systems.

Pierre-Yves Donzé is a professor in business history at the Graduate School of Economics, Osaka University, Japan, and a visiting professor at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland. He is a member of the councils of the European Business History Association (EBHA) since 2016 and the Business History Society of Japan since 2017, and a co-editor of the international journalBusiness History.

Chapter 1: Introduction.- Chapter 2: Surgeons of the Canton of Vaud in the 19th and 20th centuries.- Chapter 3: Management and Organisation at the Cantonal Hospital of Lausanne.- Chapter 4: The transformation of regional hospitals.- Chapter 5: Building a hospital policy.- Chapter 6: Conclusion