Description
Book Synopsis: 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 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.
Details
Discover the gripping and tumultuous history of Bellevue Hospital in "Bellevue: Three Centuries of Medicine and Mayhem at America's Most Storied Hospital." This spellbinding account, penned by Pulitzer Prize-winning historian David Oshinsky, takes you on a captivating journey through the rise of American medicine and the transformation of New York City.
Prepare to be engrossed by the vivid descriptions of Bellevue's notorious reputation as a haven for crime victims, psychopaths, and derelicts. Oshinsky expertly weaves together stories of lunatics and sufferers of exotic diseases that have haunted the corridors of Bellevue for over two centuries.
In chronicling the hospital's storied past, Oshinsky delves into the evolution of American medicine from its early days of butchery and quackery to an esteemed profession grounded in science. Witness the rise of New York City as the nation's foremost city, intricately linked to the growth and significance of Bellevue Hospital.
Bellevue Hospital's impact extends beyond its walls. Drawing from its rich history, Oshinsky showcases the pivotal role the institution played in advancing medical research, treating Civil War soldiers, establishing the first civilian ambulance corps and nursing school for women, and even contributing to the establishment of the country's first official Board of Health.
As you immerse yourself in the pages of "Bellevue," you'll witness the remarkable resilience of this revered public hospital. From the challenges faced during times of rampant crime, drug addiction, and homelessness to its role as New York's ultimate safety net during the AIDS crisis, Bellevue Hospital remains an indomitable symbol of compassion and care.
Don't miss your chance to uncover the captivating history of one of America's most iconic hospitals. Order your copy of "Bellevue: Three Centuries of Medicine and Mayhem at America's Most Storied Hospital" today and embark on a mesmerizing journey through the triumphs and tribulations that have shaped American medicine.
To order "Bellevue: Three Centuries of Medicine and Mayhem at America's Most Storied Hospital," click here.
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