Recently published, The People’s Hospital: A History of McCords, Durban, 1890s-1970s, 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.


A wonderful read that promises to lift the spirit, The People’s Hospital: A History of McCords, written by historians Julie Parle and Vanessa Noble, is available for purchase at Adams Books, or as a free download via the Natal Society Foundation’s website.