Who founded the first hospital in the United States dedicated to treating the sick?
MENU Show First Hospital Ambulance, Bellevue Hospital Center, NY, 1860 In the early nineteenth century, and for more than a century to come, most Americans gave birth and endured illness and even surgery at home. They belonged to a largely rural society, and few among them would ever have occasion to visit a hospital. Hospitals in the United States emerged from institutions, notably almshouses, that provided care and custody for the ailing poor. Rooted in this tradition of charity, the public hospital traces its ancestry to the development of cities and community efforts to shelter and care for the chronically ill, deprived, and disabled. A six-bed ward founded in 1736 in the New York City Almshouse became, over the course of a century and more, Bellevue Hospital. The predecessor of Charity Hospital in New Orleans opened its doors the same year. Today’s Regional Medical Center in Memphis, the oldest hospital in Tennessee, was founded in 1829. Similar origins exist for other public hospitals—places where the “care of strangers” grew from modest origins into multifaceted municipal institutions. Historical Timeline< To learn more about the history of public hospitals, download: The Safety Net Magazine—A Public Trust. Download by article Evolution of Trauma Care Physician Training Early AIDS Care ShareEvents in the US paralleled those in the United Kingdom. The US also underwent a rapid transition from a rural, agricultural society to one that was intensely urban and industrial. Inventions such as the cotton gin that promoted agricultural production, but also decreased the need for farm workers, driving many to the cities for work. Economic growth and inventions spawned factories and textile mills in US cities. Many of the facts and images below come from the History of the Public Health Service from the US National Library of Medicine. The 1700s
The 1800s
From from the US National Library of Medicine's web pages on The History of the Public Health Service: "The 1870 reorganization [of the Marine Hospital Service] also changed the general character of the Service. It became national in scope and military in outlook and organization. Medical officers, called surgeons, were required to pass entrance examinations and wear uniforms. In 1889, when the Commissioned Corps was formally recognized by legislative action, the medical officers were given titles and pay corresponding to Army and Navy grades. Physicians who passed the examinations were appointed to the general service, rather than to a particular hospital, and were assigned wherever needed. The goal was to create a professional, mobile, health corps, free as possible from political favoritism and patronage, and able to deal with the new health needs of a rapidly growing and industrializing nation." Epidemics of contagious diseases, such as small pox, yellow fever, and cholera, had devastating effects throughout the 19th century. They killed many people, spread panic and fear, disrupted government, and caused Congress to enact laws to stop their importation and spread. As a result of these new laws, the functions of the MHS were expanded greatly beyond the medical relief of the sick seamen to include the supervision of national quarantine (ship inspection and disinfection), the medical inspection of immigrants, the prevention of interstate spread of disease, and general investigations in the field of public health, such as that of yellow fever epidemics."
The video below is a segment from a PBS documentary on public health. This particular segment focuses on events at the dawn of the 20th century when bubonic plague threatened San Francisco. Note the futile and inappropriate use of quarantine to deal with the threat of plague. The last section of the clip describes a broad array of public health interventions that eventually emerged. Bubonic Plague Video Transcript
In the video below Sir Richard Doll briefly describes the study that he and Bradford Hill conducted in 1948. (R. Doll and A. B. Hill, 'Smoking and carcinoma of the lung: preliminary report', BMJ, 1950, 2.746). The video is a segment of a PBS video on public health. Sir Richard Doll Video Transcript
From from the US National Library of Medicine's web pages on The History of the Public Health Service: "Medical discoveries and public health campaigns have almost eliminated deaths from the common diseases of childhood such as measles, diphtheria, scarlet fever, and whooping cough. As a result of these successes nearly 20 years were added to the average life expectancy at birth between 1900 and 1950-from 47 to 67 years." "As epidemic diseases were brought under control the Public Health Service began to shift its attention to other areas such as cancer, heart disease, health in the workplace, and the impact of environmental problems, such as toxic waste disposal, on health. But the Public Health Service is still called upon to investigate outbreaks of disease such as Legionnaire's, toxic shock syndrome, and now the deadliest epidemic of our age -- AIDS. Much of the work of the early plague fighters and sanitarians is now carried out by the scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia."
Image of small boy with polio standing with crutches
What was America's first hospital?Welcome to Pennsylvania Hospital, the nation's first hospital. Since its founding in 1751 by Benjamin Franklin and Dr. Thomas Bond, Pennsylvania Hospital has been an innovator in patient care, treatment techniques and medical research.
Which founding father founded a hospital?In addition to his well-known contributions to society, Benjamin Franklin helped to establish the first public hospital and the first hospital pharmacy. Scientist, printer, inventor: Founding Father Benjamin Franklin's influence spans almost every area—including pharmacy and public health.
Who was the first to organize medical care in the form of the first hospitals?Ancient Romans (753 BC – 410 AD) were the first to organize health care by providing treatment to soldiers. They had a system of public health and sanitation (aqueducts/sewers), and drained wetlands to reduce the spread of malaria. Life expectancy was 35 years.
|