The beginnings of the state care of mother and child, and of the state medical care in general, ín Brno date from the reign of the emperor Joseph II. In that period the existing hospitals, founded and maíntained by church orders, were replaced wíth the General Care Institute establíshed by Joseph II in the building of the abolíshed St. Anne's Monastery in the Pekařská Street. The Instítute involving a hospital, lunatic asylum, materníty hospital, and foundlíng and orphan asylum, started íts actívity on 2nd January 1786. The maternity hospital was used almost exclusively by unmarried mothers or wealthy women who intended to leave theír newborn chíldren in the foundling asylum.
With the growth of populatin accompanying the industrial development of Brno and its suburbs the capacity of the Institute became insufficíent; hence, in 1856, the materníty hospítal and the foundling and orphan asylums were moved to three renthouses ín the Olomoucká Street (today Křenová) that were, however, quite inappropriate from the hygienic point of view.
It was Professor Hubert Riedinger, a new director of the materníty hospital having come to Brno from Vienna ín 1878, who deserved of the developments in obstetrícs in Brno as well as of the establishment of a new independent maternity hospital. Prof. Riedinger was a recognized surgeon. He introduced to the local obstetrical practice the príciples of Semmelweiss, performed the first ceasarían sectíon in Brno and founded the first gynecological department and midwife school. Supported by state offícíals of ínfluence, he succeeded in forcing the establishment of a new maternity hospital at the Corn Market (today Sovětských hrdinů Square) whích, though constructed after the most economícal variant of the project, was the most modern ínstitute of this type in Austria-Hungary of the period and even in the whole Central Europe. The construction the príce of which was 253624 golds was finished on 8 November 1888. The institute was built in a corridor manner and equipped wíth 120 beds, water-supply, water-closets, gas illumination and tíle stoves.
After the end of the World War I, when Prof. Riedinger retired, the cli nic of obstetrics and gynaecology of the newly founded Masaryk Uníversity in Brno was placed in the existing materníty hospítal. It was Professor Antonin Ostrčil who was charged with leading the clinic and maternity hospital. He obtaíned from the Minístry of Educatíon addítional constructions of physical therapy, X-rays, operating theatre and carried out further modernizatíon of the institute. He partly realized the additional construction of the third floor of the main tract and began the construction of the clinical block situated towards the Falkensteiner Street (today Gorkí Street).
In 1925, when Prof. Ostrčíl returned to Prague, the leadership of the institute was assumed by Professor Gustav MLiller. He finíshed the constructíons under way, organized the activities of individual laboratories and equipped the institute with modern apparatuses. Professor MLiller was an excellent c1ínicían, he went on in the therapy of malígnant tumours with X-rays introduced by his predecessor, developed further gynaecologíc urology and became the founder of gynaecologic histopathology. He was also recOgnized as an outstanding university professor, many of his students became later recognized authorities. Influenced by adverse political events, Professor Muller left the clinic in 1939. His successor and student. associate Professor Ludvík Havlás.ek, tried to maintain at least the clinical part of the institute in Czech hands after the occupation of the Republic by the Nazi Germany. The Czech sta ff was partly replaced by a German one, the function of director was transmitted to a German, Professor Herbert Rossenbeck. Of course, Prof. Rossenbeck was a partisan of the Nazi ideology and of the Germanism. However, in his institute he introduced some relatively modern therapeutical approaches and realized the additional construction of the pavilion facing the Falkensteiner Street previously planned by Professor Muller. During the occupation a talented surgeon, Dr. Mirko Svozil. and an attendant, Mr. Tomáš Lysa, were arrested and tortured to death in concentration camps for collaboration with the Soviets. Associate Professor Václav Šilhan, arrested for collaboration with a resistance group, lost his life ina similar way. After the end of World War II, Professor Muller came back to Brno to assist a rapid setting of the maternity hospital damaged by the war period and bombardment in service. The whole post-war period is closely linked with the personality of Professor Havlásek who became head of the cli nic after Professor Muller in 1946. Professor Havlásek was an outstanding surgeon specialized mainly in oncology and gynaecological urology. His extensive publication activities involve all aspects of obstetrics and gynaecology. In addition to teaching at the Medical faculty and midwife school, he gave much effort to social activities concentrated on propagation of progressive principles in the care of pregnant women and mother and child.
ln 1948, an independent department, the so-called IIIrd State Department, was founded in the maternity hospital. This department had the status and. character of a clinic and, up to 1960, it was directed by Associate Professor Antonín Cernoch. One year later, the IInd gynaecological cli nic was founded in the hospital in the Pekařská Street under the guidance of Professor František Horálek. This cli nic was transferred to the place of the IlIrd State Department after its abolition in 1960. Associate Professor Miloslav Uher was appointed as the head of this clinic. In 1965 he was replaced by Associate Professor Jaroslav Staníček who had led the 1st Clinic for a short time after Professor Havlásek and Dr. Uher took his former place. From 1973 the Ilnd Clinic was directed by Professor Miloslav Uhlíř thanks to whom the scientific and research activities were intensified. After Professor Uher Associate Professor Jaromir Martinčík became the chief of the 1st Clinic and soon afterwards Associate professor Miloslav Sládek beoame the head of the IInd Clinic in 1982. Professor Zdeněk Cupr has been his partner at the 1st Clinic since 1981.
Associate Professor Černoch built up a radiotherapeutical department with installation of a cobalt bomb, obtained the establishment of an outpatients department of pediatric gynaecology and the posts of senior registrars of psychology, internal medicine and surgery. Professor Uher developed gynaecological urology, solved the problems of childless couples and introduced new surgical approaches to the treatment of urinary fistulas. He performed the function of Regional Gynaecologist for 18 years. Professor Staníček introduced the applícation of radioactive gold and established contacts with the Radiumhemmet Centre in Stockholm in oncology. Associate Professor Martinčík solved problems of diagnostics and treatment of the thrombembolic disease in collaboration with an X-ray specialist, Dr. Šmid, and an internist, Dr. Janků. He also improved the surgical method of vaginal neoformation after Frank. Professor Uhliř solved the utilization of allografts in the surgery of tubal infertility and was engagěd in solving the problem of pelveolysis. As a director of research he took part in the research of the fetoplacental unit, treatment of late anaphylactic syndrom of the newborn and surgical treatment of incipient abortion. Professor Čupr solved problems of histopathology of the endometrium, ovarian tumours and aetiopathogenesis of cervical endometriosis. He is a pioneer of physiological operation techniques and a conscientious teacher. Associate Professor Sládek intensified the care of sterile couples, was active in contraception, heterologous insemination, remarked the relevance of adrenal disturbances. He deserved a great deal of the vast constructional and administrative modernization of the institute.
Year 1989 meant not only the change of the political regime, but the current changes in health care and education as well. Obviously the changes were displaying also in faculty hospital. At that time there was prof. MUDr. Zdeněk Čupr, DrSc. the chairman of the1st Ob/Gyn Department. The director of 2st Ob/Gyn Department doc. MUDr. Miloslav Sládek, PhD., was currently the director of the Maternity Hospital. The same year took his place as a head of 2nd Ob/Gyn Department prof. MUDr. Ladislav Pilka, DrSc. In 1992 was the Maternity Hospital the part of Faculty Hospital Sv. Anna, when a separate entity of Maternal Hospital was created. After leaving doc. Sladek retired in 1990, MUDr. I. A. Belkov took his place for a short time as a director. After the tender in the Ministry of Health in 1992, took the position of director of the Faculty Hospital MUDr. Jan Burian. In 1998 the Maternity hospital merged with two other major hospital centres, the Faculty Hospital Bohunice and the Faculty children's hospital Černá Pole, into Faculty Hospital Brno, under the single management director MUDr. Jan Burian.
There was also the economic rationalization and operational reasons to merge 1st and 2nd gynecology and natal clinic. When Prof. Pilka retired, was the 2st Ob/Gyn Department, founded by Prof. Horálek, nearly 50 years after abolished. From September 1998 became the head of integrated 1st Clinic prof. MUDr. Pavel Ventruba, DrSc., prof. Čupr´s disciple.
During 2001 were in Faculty hospital Brno other organization changes, at 1st February 2002 were remaining two Brno´s Ob/Gyn Departments (1st Dept. at Obilní trh and 2nd Dept. in Brno-Bohunice) abolished into one unit – Ob/Gyn Department of Masaryk University School of Medicine and Faculty Hospital Brno. This decision terminated activities of 3rd Ob/Gyn Department located in Bohunice, built since 1981 by prof. MUDr. Miloslav Uhliř, DrSc., and subsequently led by doc. MUDr. Jiří Kopečný, CSc. (1991-1997) and prof. MUDr. Zdeněk Malý, CSc. (1997-2001). The head of newly created department has been under bankruptcy appointed prof. MUDr. Pavel Ventruba.
This progressive organizational changes earned to a Brno´s hospital financial resources which enabled investments to the modernization of the particular wards, equipment, computer equipment, construction of surgery, perfect instrumentation of JIP newborns and adults, X-ray department, department of radiotherapy, laboratories, etc. Investing in instrumentation improved the quality of gynecological - obstetrical and perinatal care. It leads to the development of new departments, especially mammology with excellent diagnostic and treatment technology. Also, the department of assisted reproduction has seen dynamic development of cutting-edge reproductive techniques, including andrology.