Medical

Danvers State Hospital revolutionized mental health care for more than a century, beginning in 1878. Today, it's buildings still have stories to tell.

Perched high on the top of Hathorne Hill in what was once the village of Salem, Danvers State Insane Asylum was, for more than a century, a monument to modern psychiatry and the myriad advances in mental health treatment. From the time it opened its doors in 1878 until they were shuttered for good in 1992, the asylum represented decades of reform, the physical embodiment of the heroic visions of Dorothea Dix and Thomas Story Kirkbride. It would stand abandoned until 2005, when demolition began. Along with a dedicated group of private citizens, the Danvers Historical Society fought to preserve the Kirkbride structure, an effort that would result in the reuse of the administration building and two additional wings. Danvers has earned a unique place in history; the shell of the original Kirkbride building still stands overlooking the town. Though it has been changed drastically, the asylum's story continues as do efforts to memorialize it.

Norwich State Hospital (NSH), established in 1904, was more than just a series of mortar and brick buildings to house and treat persons suffering from mental illness.

For nearly 100 years, generations of people dedicated their careers and lives to developing NSH as a humanitarian community for mental illness rehabilitation. NSH gained international attention from some of the world's most renowned psychiatrists for being the first state hospital to boast a brand-new state-of-the-art building to house all occupational therapies under one roof. Although NSH closed in 1996, the structure has continued to be one of Connecticut's most notable historical landmarks, despite its ongoing demolition and redevelopment. Today, Norwich State Hospital is still alive in the timeless, emotional memories employees and family members share of what it was like to work and grow up in a place where employees were not just employees and patients were not just patients; they were family.

The Worcester State Hospital offered a novel and compelling promise: that insanity could be cured by humane treatment in a therapeutic setting. Patients would enjoy its idyllic landscape, genteel interiors, wholesome food supplied from its farm, and the individualized attention of medical professionals. The hospital's reputation as a "model institution" helped to position the city of Worcester as an economic center and pioneer in social reform. Yet overcrowding, insufficient funds, and the limitations of medical knowledge undermined the institution's mission, leading to the abandonment of its original features. Despite downsizing and decay, the Worcester State Hospital continues to exert a tangible presence on the landscape. Its iconic clock tower, salvaged from demolition, stands as a reminder of its historical legacy and of the continuing role of the site--now the Worcester Recovery Center and Hospital--in the treatment of mental illness.

Opened on May 1, 1854, the State Almshouse at Tewksbury was a venture by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to provide economical care for state paupers. Originally intended to accommodate 500 residents, by the end of 1854 the almshouse had admitted well over 2,200 paupers, thus necessitating future expansion. Although the virtue of the institution was called into question in 1883 by Gov. Benjamin Butler, who decried Supt. Thomas J. Marsh, the almshouse would continue to serve the destitute of the commonwealth for years to come. The name would later be changed to Tewksbury State Hospital to reflect the inclusion of the mentally ill, the sick, and those suffering from infectious disease as patients. Today, the hospital remains operational in providing specialized care in the Thomas J. Saunders Building while also serving as host to various governmental agencies and community organizations like the Public Health Museum on its historic campus. Although many of the early structures were demolished in the 1970s, the Tewksbury State Hospital remains an active institution brimming with architectural beauty and a rich public health history.

This collection of photographs, history, and firsthand accounts gives readers a glimpse at the roots of mental health. These vignettes are born of the personal stories of those who worked at these facilities, those who were institutionalized, and their families. The authors took the time to listen to their stories and endeavored to understand their past and recognize how these events continue to influence the mental health industry today. Pictured throughout are the physical relics of the places—the now largely abandoned asylums of Connecticut—where these stories unfurled.

Northampton State Hospital, established in 1856, was built with the optimistic spirit of humanitarian reform. For many years, it was run by Dr. Pliny Earle, a champion of treatment that combined individualized care with manual labor, religious worship, recreation, and amusement. This vision was overwhelmed as the hospital was called upon to care for ever-larger numbers of people with varying needs. By the mid-20th century, the hospital was an isolated small city, with hundreds of employees caring for more than 2,000 patients in overcrowded and inadequate conditions. It became a nationally important center of political and legal struggle over the role of state hospitals in the care of the mentally ill. After being gradually phased out, the hospital was closed in 1993, and the buildings, though listed in the National Register of Historic Places, were demolished in 2006. This volume brings to life the 135-year story of Northampton State Hospital through beautiful and haunting photographs drawn from the collections of Historic Northampton, the city's local history museum.

The story of Faulkner Hospital begins with the Faulkner family. Dr. George Faulkner's ancestry includes one of the first woolens manufacturers, a Revolutionary War colonel, and an accused Salem witch. When Dr. Faulkner's daughter Mary died, the hospital was established in her honor. Paul Revere's great-granddaughter broke ground on the hospital, which sits on land where the Peacock Tavern, owned by Samuel Adams, once stood. The original building contained 26 beds, 6 of which were free. A nursing school opened in 1903, on the day the hospital opened. Using images from the hospital's vast archives, Faulkner Hospital celebrates the hospital's centennial and explores its rich history as a leader in medicine, education, and community enrichment. Faulkner Hospital is a major teaching hospital to Harvard and Tufts Medical Schools, with many clinical firsts, like the discovery of rejuvenated blood. It is also home to world-renowned breast and headache centers and has implemented many unique concepts, including nurservers and monorails. Readers will learn about the hospital's role in the movie Whose Life Is It Anyway? and discover the famous writers, athletes, and royalty who have visited.

Baystate Medical Center was established in 1976 with the merger of the Medical Center of Western Massachusetts and Wesson Memorial Hospital. Baystate's roots extend to 1870, when Springfield City Hospital was one of just 178 acute-care hospitals in the United States. It was renamed Springfield Hospital in 1883 and moved to its current location at 759 Chestnut Street in 1889. The Hampden Homeopathic Hospital was founded in 1900, followed by the Wesson Maternity Hospital eight years later. All three hospitals have a long tradition of training physicians and nurses, and today, Baystate is the Western Campus of Tufts University School of Medicine. Many patient-care innovations have emerged, including one of the country's first chronic-care wards, the first kidney transplant, and fast-track cardiac surgery. Today, Baystate Medical Center is the flagship hospital of Baystate Health, whose 10,000 employees carry out the mission "to improve the health of the people in our communities every day, with quality and compassion."

Children's Hospital Boston is one of the oldest, most distinguished pediatric medical centers in the world.

It grew from a modest beginning in 1869, in a single Boston brick house, to become a major pediatric affiliate of Harvard Medical School. For well over a century, this hospital has been a pioneer in providing healthcare for children, performing research in childhood and adult diseases, and training future leaders in medicine and surgery. Children's Hospital Boston presents a visual tour of the history and development of this institution. Simultaneously, this book reflects the history of pediatrics in America.

South Shore Hospital is a dynamic regional medical center renowned for its culture of healing, caring, and comforting, as well as its top-notch medical and nursing care for thousands of patients a year. Opened as Weymouth Hospital in 1922, the hospital's founders set a standard unusual for the day: they insisted patients receive excellent care regardless of ability to pay and required the hospital be self-supporting. From these seemingly contradictory values grew an enduring legacy. Balancing these values produced many first-in-the-region innovations. The hospital boldly invested in advanced medical equipment and insisted on extraordinarily high clinical standards that won honors nationally. Before Weymouth Hospital welcomed its first patient in its pre-Civil War mansion, the seriously ill were transported to Boston hospitals by train or streetcar, because travel by automobile was difficult, if not downright dangerous. In its first six months, the hospital outgrew the mansion and nearly doubled its size, beginning a pattern of robust growth to meet ever-increasing need. Overcoming the financial hardships of the Depression, surmounting the scarcities of World War II, and managing the region's explosive growth, the hospital's story exemplifies courage in the face of challenges.

Heywood Hospital, an independent, 153-bed, nonprofit community hospital located in north central Massachusetts, has served the residents of the Greater Gardner area for over 100 years. A gift to the community, its birth in 1907 was thanks to the vision and generosity of the prominent Heywood family. Henry Heywood had wished that workers at his world-renowned furniture manufacturing company would have medical treatment available to them locally. Upon his death, his wife and daughter provided the funds needed for the land and hospital building, as well as an endowment for its operation. Situated upon a hill overlooking Crystal Lake to the west and the Heywood family farm to the north and east, the Henry Heywood Memorial Hospital was established. A visual history reflecting the deep connection between a community hospital and its residents, Heywood Hospital celebrates the hospital as a benefactor and major employer firmly entrenched in a highly supportive community.

The story of Tufts Medical Center and the Floating Hospital for Children encompasses the history of medicine in Boston. It was founded in 1796 as the Boston Dispensary, where district physicians provided free medical care to the poor through annual subscriptions from wealthy Boston families, including such luminaries as Samuel Adams and Paul Revere. Fueled by a huge influx of immigrants at the turn of the 20th century, the city of Boston rapidly expanded and diversified. So too did the hospital, whose growth included the addition of evening clinics to serve the working poor. The Floating Hospital for Children started in 1894 as a ship outfitted as a hospital to take the city's sick children out on Boston Harbor to receive the benefits of fresh ocean air and the attention of a volunteer medical staff. In the 1930s, it merged with the Boston Dispensary and the Pratt Diagnostic Clinic along with Tufts University's Medical School to form the nucleus of today's Tufts Medical Center, a national leader in health care, teaching, and research.

In 1895, Franklin County Public Hospital (FCPH) was founded by 36 citizens led by Dr. Adams Calhoun Deane. The newly incorporated hospital rented the former home of Rev. Dr. Francis Robbins and served 55 patients in its first year of operation. By 1898, FCPH moved to the larger Converse House and then to purpose-built facilities at 164 High Street in 1910. The hospital trained nurses, including Susie Walking Bear Yellowtail, class of 1927, the first Native American graduate in the United States. In 1968, FCPH opened the architecturally unique Spokes wards. Throughout its history, the Board of Organized Work (now the Baystate Franklin Auxiliary) has supported the hospital with fundraising activities. FCPH became Baystate Franklin Medical Center (BFMC) after joining with Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Massachusetts, to form Baystate Health in 1986. This book celebrates 120 years of service to Franklin County.

From combating infant mortality to working on the front lines during the AIDS epidemic, this is a tale of Maine's heroic nurses throughout history.

Maine nurses have served tirelessly as caregivers and partners in healing at home and abroad, from hospitals to battlefields. The Division of Public Health Nursing and Child Hygiene was established in 1920 to combat high rates of infant mortality in Washington and Aroostook Counties. During the Vietnam War, Maine nurses helped build the Twelfth Evacuation Hospital at Cu Chi and bravely assisted surgeries in the midst of fighting. In the early 1980s, nurse disease prevention educators in Portland rose to the challenge of combating the growing AIDS epidemic. Through historical anecdotes and fascinating oral histories, discover the remarkable sacrifices and achievements of Maine's nurses.

This collection of photographs, history, and firsthand accounts gives readers a glimpse at the roots of mental health. These vignettes are born of the personal stories of those who worked at these facilities, those who were institutionalized, and their families. The authors took the time to listen to their stories and endeavored to understand their pasts and recognize how these events continue to influence the mental health industry today. Pictured throughout are the physical relics of the places—the now largely abandoned asylums—where these stories unfurled.