ABSTRACT
This chapter shows that the relative strength of the middle class in Leeds and the working class in Sheffield along with the markedly different role of gender in the two labour markets played a central part in shaping the form, function and finance of their hospital services. It explains the ways in which Leeds and Sheffield developed their hospital provision in the early twentieth century was shaped by both general trends in demand and by the specific needs, capabilities and cultures of the two cities. The ability to deal with health environment change was aided by the development in both Sheffield and Leeds of university medical schools. Although Sheffield and Leeds had populations of around half a million and had played a leading part in the industrial revolution, by the First World War they had developed very different demographic, economic and social profiles which produced divergent political paths.
