"The Hospital by the River" is the autobiography of Catherine Hamlin, an Australian obstetrician and gynecologist who, along with her husband Reginald, established the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital in Ethiopia. While the book primarily focuses on Catherine's medical work and humanitarian efforts in Ethiopia, it also includes details of her early life.
Catherine Hamlin was born in Australia in 1924 and was abandoned as a baby. She was initially taken to a foundling hospital before being adopted by a family in Sydney. While the autobiography does not delve extensively into her time in the foundling hospital, it provides insight into Catherine's early experiences and the challenges she faced growing up.