Abstract
Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) originated as the Hospital for the Ruptured and Crippled (R&C) 142 years ago in New York City. As the first and only orthopaedic hospital of its kind in this country, it was located in the residence of its founder James Knight on Second Avenue, south of Sixth Street, and started with 28 inpatient beds for children but no operating facilities. The history of this institution has been documented in two books and occasionally published and unpublished papers. Many of these accounts have been limited by time, focus on a particular subject, or overall reviews. The emergence of such a specialized facility in the middle of the 19th century during a time of medicine in its infancy, our country at war and the city of New York racked in poverty, disease, civil riots, and political corruption is a story not necessarily appreciated in our day. The vision of one little-known physician and the cooperation and support of a small group of prominent New Yorkers and philanthropists were responsible for the origin of this hospital and particularly for its survival in such troubled times when most small hospitals of this period lasted only for a few years. Fortunately, almost all of the original Annual Reports of the Board of Managers, photographs, manuscripts, personal records, and newspaper clippings have been saved. They are now being collected, preserved, catalogued, and displayed in the newly formed HSS Archives from which this material has been taken.
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Notes
Robert Milham Hartley (1796-1881), born in England, followed his father in the woolen business although he had ministerial ambitions. In 1843 he was one of the founders of The Association for Improving the Condition of the Poor. He published many articles on religious, sanitary, and scientific subjects. He was happily married to Catherine Munson and had 10 children.
In today’s dollars, $75,000.
In today’s dollars, $124,000.
John Clevis Green (1800-1875), born in New Jersey, attended the Lawrenceville School and became a very successful China Trader. Returning from Canton in 1839 with a sizable fortune, he settled in New York, became President of the Bleeker Street Savings Bank, and invested heavily in railroads. He was a trustee of New York Hospital, the Hospital for the Deaf and Dumb, and a very charitable contributor to religious organizations. Also a trustee of Princeton University, he endowed 3 chairs, the first School of Science named after him, the first Library, and renovated the dining hall and chapel. His great-great-grandfather, Jonathan Dickinson, was the first president of the College of New Jersey, which became Princeton University.
In today’s dollars, $2.5 million.
Edward Tuckerman Potter, a specialist in ecclesiastical design, was born in Schenectady, son of Bishop Alonzo Potter, the former president of Union College. He studied under Richard Upjohn, then the foremost church architect in the country. He was the first architect for Lehigh University and designed buildings for Princeton as well as many churches. He died in 1901.
In today’s dollars, $6.3 million.
References
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Acknowledgements
I wish to acknowledge the deep commitment to the history of our hospital and continuous documentation of it over the years made possible by Philip D. Wilson, Jr., MD. I also wish to pay tribute to Thomas P. Sculco, MD, for his special interest in the roots of this hospital, for his many reviews of itshistory and for his vision of the importance of establishing an Archives.
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Levine, D.B. Hospital for Special Surgery: Origin and Early History First Site 1863–1870. HSS Jrnl 1, 3–8 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11420-005-0116-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11420-005-0116-0