From a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian comes a riveting history of New York’s iconic public hospital that charts the turbulent rise of American medicine. Bellevue Hospital, on New York City’s East Side, occupies a colorful and horrifying place in the public imagination: a den of mangled crime victims, vicious psychopaths, assorted derelicts, lunatics, and exotic-disease sufferers. In its two and … sufferers. In its two and a half centuries of service, there was hardly an epidemic or social catastrophe—or groundbreaking scientific advance—that did not touch Bellevue.
David Oshinsky, whose last book, Polio: An American Story, was awarded a Pulitzer Prize, chronicles the history of America’s oldest hospital and in so doing also charts the rise of New York to the nation’s preeminent city, the path of American medicine from butchery and quackery to a professional and scientific endeavor, and the growth of a civic institution. From its origins in 1738 as an almshouse and pesthouse, Bellevue today is a revered public hospital bringing first-class care to anyone in need. With its diverse, ailing, and unprotesting patient population, the hospital was a natural laboratory for the nation’s first clinical research. It treated tens of thousands of Civil War soldiers, launched the first civilian ambulance corps and the first nursing school for women, pioneered medical photography and psychiatric treatment, and spurred New York City to establish the country’s first official Board of Health.
As medical technology advanced, “voluntary” hospitals began to seek out patients willing to pay for their care. For charity cases, it was left to Bellevue to fill the void. The latter decades of the twentieth century brought rampant crime, drug addiction, and homelessness to the nation’s struggling cities—problems that called a public hospital’s very survival into question. It took the AIDS crisis to cement Bellevue’s enduring place as New York’s ultimate safety net, the iconic hospital of last resort. Lively, page-turning, fascinating, Bellevue is essential American history.
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I work at this hospital, which is a lot of things but definitely not corny. There is so much history associated with Bellevue and this writer presents it all with all the humanity that is Bellevue. It is best to read it twice in order to truly appreciate everything this book offers.
The author packs in history, biographies and the development of modern medicine in this book.
Particularly in this time of Covid-19, this book is especially relevant. Aside from that, it is absolutely fascinating as it covers medicine, personalities, politics, science, history and drama.
It was more just a documentary, bunch of stats. Didn’t finish, couldn’t get into the book
Very well written popular history about an iconic NY institution.
as a nurse. I found this book very informative. I found many things I did not know about medical history and about this amazing hospital.
Interesting history of New York and their history of medical care
Great for people who love NYC history and health care. The chapters jump around a bit and are somewhat disjointed. However, well worth reading for the insight into the NYC healthcare system and where all the major hospitals came from.
Very interesting and well written. This book shows the evolution of city hospitals and the care available to the needy.
I like reading books that entertain but also teach me something. This book was all that. It illustrates so many interesting stories taking place in Bellevue Hospital while at the same time revealing a history of modern medicine in America. It was very well researched and my interest was sustained throughout the book with the authors way of telling how Bellevue came to be and how big a part it played in the advancement of medicine in this country. Highly recommended reading.
Well researched overview of an iconic institution.
As a physician, I really appreciated this story and, having been a student in a county hospital that sounds a bit like Bellevue on a much smaller scale and a resident in one that was remarkably better (Denver General), I can recommend this to any health care professional as a 5* book and to the curious layman as an informative view somewhat behind the scenes. I actually wasn’t aware of the medical advances developed there, and the institution rose in my estimation.
I didn’t know Bellevue was that old. Plus with it being brought up in books and tv shows and movies in regards to the mental ward, I just assumed it was a mental hospital and not a true medical hospital. Lots of history in those walls.
As a mostly non-fiction reader, I was surprised at how interesting this book was. A great history for anyone in a medical field!
Very interesting read. The author does a good job engaging the reader.
Great book. Sounds dry and it really isn’t.
This book was written by a Doctor but was easy for a non medical person to read. I always thought of Bellevue as a psychiatric hospital but it is much more. Many things that we consider standard today were started at Bellevue. This book went through the history of the hospital starting as a pestfarm all the way through storm Sandy. Hoorah for the noble men and women who have worked there.
Bellevue is one of the best histories of medicine I’ve read. It tells of NYC, immigrants, epidemics, medical schools and more. Great, readible history.
Enjoyed reading what a fascinating history this hospital it as on he cutting edge of medical first an still is today
I trained at Bellevue in surgery 1961-63.