The medical world is gradually realizing that the quality of the environment in hospitals may play a significant role in the process of recovery from illness.

As part of a nationwide effort in Britain to bring art out of the galleries and into public places, some of the country’s most talented artists have been called in to transform older hospitals and to soften the hard edges of modern buildings. Of the 2,500 National Health Service hospitals in Britain, almost 100 now have significant collections of contemporary art in corridors, waiting areas and treatment rooms.