Then, ''old-fashioned diseases we don't even know about'', pneumonia, long-term infections and injuries were common complaints among patients, Central Otago Health Inc chairwoman Ainsley Webb said on Friday, as she helped set up for Dunstan Hospital's 150th celebrations.
In its time, the hospital and those running it had faced many hurdles but had overcome them all to be the pride of its community and ''certainly one of the top rural hospitals in New Zealand'', she said.
Celebrations were officially opened by Central Otago Mayor Tony Lepper on Friday night.
Festivities yesterday included the official opening of the CT scanner suite and a formal dinner.
Today, there will be a remembrance service and the planting of a commemorative tree.
Coinciding with the occasion is the publication of Dunstan Hospital Clyde - 150th Anniversary, edited by Alexandra writer Dianne King.
It incudes a detailed timeline of the hospital and memories of those involved with it over its 150 years.
Those memories include one from an elderly rabbiter named George, who lived alone in a small hut near Butchers Dam. One winter he rubbed dirt into his legs and feet, causing ulceration and spent the rest of the winter in the warm, cosy hospital.
Another excerpt refers to a Dr Brown, who worked at the hospital around the time of World War 2. He was partial to trout fishing and so when the local Acclimatisation Society ranger got a fish hook stuck in his nose, he was taken down to the Fraser River to where Dr Brown was fishing, to have it removed.
Today, the hospital building is owned by the Southern District Health Board, but the hospital is run and the equipment is owned by the Central Otago community.
Highlights of Dunstan Hospital's history
1863: Dunstan District Hospital, a 50-bed wooden building in Clyde, officially opened on August 8.
1878: Hospital threatened by floods, moved to higher ground.
1917: Tenders sought for hospital lighting - gas, petrol or electric.
1937: New nurses' home built.
1946: First babies born at the hospital.
1963: Hospital aide school starts. Centenary celebrated; electrocardiograph bought.
1981: Dialysis unit bought.
1990: Cromwell Hospital closed.
1992: Friends of Dunstan Hospital formed.
1998: Healthcare Otago withdraws funding for hospital management.
1999: Central Otago Health Services Ltd, a community-owned, not-for-profit company, takes over running hospital.
2000: Central Otago Health Inc formed. Is the sole shareholder of Central Otago Health Services Ltd. Ultrasound installed.
2002: Maternity ward closed.
2005: Refurbished hospital reopened; cost $7.6 million. Friends of Dunstan Hospital wins national TrustPower community award after raising $400,000.
2013: CT scanner installed.
