Census Bureau Daily Feature for Wednesday, February 11: First U.S. Hospital
WASHINGTON-(Business Wire)-February 11, 2009 - Profile America — Wednesday, February 11th. Among his many achievements, Benjamin Franklin played a leading role in the founding of America’s first hospital. Together with Dr. Thomas Bond, he obtained a charter for a hospital to serve the poor, sick and insane in Philadelphia. The Pennsylvania hospital opened on this date in 1752 in a converted house. Its first special building was finished four years later at a location where a modern medical complex still serves the city. During its long history, the hospital’s doctors have made advances in many fields, becoming known as “the father” of both American psychiatry and also of surgery. Today, there are almost 5,800 hospitals in the U.S., and 540,000 Americans are in these facilities on an average day. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at www.census.gov.
| Sources: | Famous First Facts, 4868 | |
| Statistical Abstract of the United States 2009, t. 163, 165 | ||
Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look under the “Newsroom” button).
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