Casa de Salud de Mujeres Carolina Deursther, Historic hospital building in San José de Maipo, Chile

Casa de Salud de Mujeres Carolina Doursther stands in the upper part of San José de Maipo at 1,090 metres. The two-storey building has an eclectic style, with woodwork on the balcony parapets and wooden railings along the main facade. Its 25 rooms were on the second and third floors, and three-storey end sections were demolished after the 1958 earthquake.

The building was constructed in 1830 by Juan Deursther as a private residence. It became Chile's first tuberculosis sanatorium in 1919 after Carolina Deursther donated it to the community.

The building's eclectic style shows in the carpentry of the balcony parapets and the wooden railings along the main facade. The mountain climate of San José de Maipo, at 1,090 metres, was itself part of the treatment: Carolina Doursther managed her own chronic lung illness in this house.

The building stands in the upper part of San José de Maipo, at 1,090 metres, and is reached from the town centre. The two-storey block kept three-storey extensions at its ends until they were demolished after the 1958 earthquake. The 25 hospital rooms were on the second and third floors.

After 1929 the facility focused on treating curable tuberculosis cases and relied on the mountain climate of San José de Maipo to aid recovery. The clean air and elevation were considered important parts of the healing process at the time.