near the end of the 18th century, france began paying closer attention to the poor condition of its hospitals. in paris, the hôtel dieu was full of disease and vermin. it had about 1,220 beds and up to six patients shared a bed. others lay in halls on piles of straw in extremely dirty conditions. when doctors came to visit in the morning, they had to hold sponges dipped in vinegar over their faces because of the bad smell. the hôtel-dieu was not a military hospital, but was typical of most hospitals at the time. in 1788, the french academy of sciences made several recommendations to make hospitals cleaner and have better ventilation. it laid out the size the rooms should be, that they should contain 34 to 36 beds and have floor to ceiling windows. the committee borrowed several ideas from visiting england and seeing hospitals there.