Robert Bloomberg - Tufts Medical Center

IMAGES
of America

TUFTS
MEDICAL CENTER

ON THE COVER: The cover photograph, taken about 1923, shows a child undergoing diathermy treatment for pneumonia at the Floating Hospital for Children. Diathermy uses an electric current to produce heat deep inside a targeted tissue. The diathermy machine does not apply heat directly to the body. Instead, the current from the machine allows the body to generate heat from within the targeted tissue. Today, it is used in physical therapy to help improve flexibility in stiff joints. (Courtesy of Tufts Medical Center archives.)

IMAGES
of America

TUFTS
MEDICAL CENTER

Robert Bloomberg and Daniel Bird
Foreword by Michael Wagner, MD
President and CEO, Tufts Medical Center

Copyright 2015 by Robert Bloomberg and Daniel Bird
ISBN 978-1-4671-3387-6
Ebook ISBN 9781439653708

Published by Arcadia Publishing
Charleston, South Carolina

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015933193

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To the doctors, nurses, caregivers, support staff, and benefactors who, over the past 219 years, have made Tufts Medical Center the outstanding hospital it is today

CONTENTS

FOREWORD

In 1796, Boston was not a medical capitalin fact, much of what we take for granted as modern medicine had not been imagined yet. But the need for health care, especially among the citys poorer residents, was clear. A dozen charitable-minded individuals established the Boston Dispensary, the first permanent health care institution in New England and one of the first in the nation, to meet that need. In 1894, just before the Dispensarys centennial, the Floating Hospital for Children was established by the Reverend Rufus Tobey, a Congregational minister who was concerned about the plight of poor children and their mothers. Before the Floating Hospital came ashore permanently, it was hosted aboard two separate ships in Boston Harbor. Doctors and nurses worked tirelessly to provide the best care available to improve the health of children on board, as well as the health of thousands of others through research and invention.

What we now know as Tufts Medical Center grew out of these two institutions, and while medical care has changed dramatically since each was founded, it is remarkable how similar our mission remains. Tufts Medical Center and the Floating Hospital for Children remain on the forefront of not just providing the best care but also advancing care through research and innovation. Our commitment to treating all those in need endures. I personally like to think that if Reverend Tobey and the Boston Dispensarys early benefactorsincluding patriots Paul Revere and Samuel Adamscould see us now, they would be immensely proud of the lasting impact their institutions have had on Boston and the nation.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thanks to Patricia Hayward, vice president of human resources at Tufts Medical Center, for her support and commitment to having the hospital sponsor the book. To Deborah Bloomberg and Barbara Bird, our principal supporters and first-line editors. To Elizabeth McGorty at the Tufts Medical Center archives, who helped catalog the images used in the book and who was our research assistant in securing and scanning the books photographs. And to Myrna Walsh from the South Shore Hospital, who gave us advice and support at the start of the project. Unless otherwise noted, all images appear courtesy of the Tufts Medical Center archives collection.

INTRODUCTION

The history of Tufts Medical Center encompasses the history of medical care in the United States. From its beginnings in the time of George Washingtons presidency to the present, the hospital has been an active partner and frequent leader in major advances and innovations in patient treatment, medical education, and research. For well over 200 years, the spirit of the Good Samaritan has guided the work of the hospital, providing health and new hope to its patients.

The years following the Revolutionary War were onerous for the sick poor of Boston. Unless one could afford a private physician, medical care outside the home was nonexistent. Many of the most prominent Boston residents recognized the need for a charitable institution that would serve the needy. Together, they established the Boston Dispensary, the first permanent medical institution in New England, in 1796. Through subscriptions, these sponsors raised sufficient funds to allow 80 patients to be treated in the first year. The apothecary who supplied medicines to the Dispensarys patients was also required to keep an accurate account of the patients, their diseases, and times of admission and discharge. Even then, it appears length of stay played a role in health care.

Although the apothecary shop had several locations on what is now Washington Street, the Dispensary had no fixed location for patient visits until the 1850s. Instead, district physicians called on patients at their homes, or if the patients could walk, they would be seen at the physicians office.

As Boston grew, so too did the Dispensary. The number of physicians and patients dramatically increased, putting a severe strain on the Dispensarys ability to attend to the entire citys sick poor. By the mid-1820s, the Dispensary was treating 1,500 patients a year. A decade later, demand for medical services was so great that the Dispensary divided the city into 10 districts, each requiring the services of a district physician. Among those who recognized the need for a central facility to meet these new demands was Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes, who served as a Dispensary physician in 1837. He proposed creating a central clinic where patients could be treated more efficiently and doctors could receive training. In 1856, the first permanent Dispensary building opened at Ash and Bennett Streets, marking a new era in the evolution of the hospital.

The second half of the 19th century into the early 20th century was a time of fundamental change in medical knowledge and technology. The discovery of bacteria and germs and the understanding of how diseases were caused and transmitted opened the door to curing disease, not just treating symptoms. The composition of the city was changing as well. Bostons immigrant population exploded; most were poor and could not afford health care. The Dispensary responded by not just expanding in size but also adding new dimensions to its health care program. Several new departments were established, research laboratories began their work, and new techniques for diagnosis were introduced, most notably the x-ray machine. The preparations for modern medical care were well under way.

One major worry for Boston health officials was the dramatic perennial increase in childhood mortality during the summer months. The reason was thought to be the congested and unsanitary living conditions in the city, and the antidote would be fresh air and sunshine on the ocean. So, in 1894, the Floating Hospital for Children was established and began its summer cruises on Boston Harbor. Along with the benefits of fresh ocean air, its purpose was to provide ship-based medical care free to needy children. The Dispensary, which had always treated both children and adults, worked closely with the Floating Hospital. Their missions were essentially the same, so it was natural for the two institutions to unite in their efforts to help the poor.