[Aspects of the history of the deaconess movement].

Having existed for 60 years as a modern, respected and highly esteemed hospital the patients of Sankt Lukas Stiftelsen (St. Lukas Foundation) in Gentofte were taken over by the Public Health Service in 1992. In the article is given a short survey of the founding of modern deaconess work at Kaiserswerth (Germany) and how it spread to Denmark. A special description is given of the development of the St. Lukas Foundation Hospital and the changes which have followed since 1992. The deaconesses continue their work by taking up new aspects of social work e.g. the founding of the first hospice in Den mark.