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The old Robert Breck Brigham Hospital
One century ago, on April 1, 1914, BWH predecessor institution Robert Breck Brigham Hospital opened its doors.
Officially named the Robert B. Brigham Hospital for Incurables, the hospital was established through the philanthropic legacy of Robert Breck Brigham, the nephew of Peter Bent Brigham. The younger Brigham made his fortune as a real estate developer and restaurant owner, and the hospital he founded became the first American teaching hospital devoted exclusively to the care of arthritis and rheumatic disease patients.
The hospital, with 115 beds, was intended for the "medical and surgical treatment of those citizens of Boston who [were] incapable of obtaining a comfortable livelihood by reason of chronic or incurable disease or permanent physical disability." Medical advances, "surgical repair of deformities and drugs to manage inflammation [were] all tested and put into practice over the years . . . [leading] to more and more of the formerly ‘incurable' patients resuming normal or near normal functioning in their daily lives," according to information found in the Robert Breck Brigham Hospital records in the BWH Archives.
In 1917, the hospital was leased by the government for the care of sick and wounded military personnel, causing a suspension of its normal operations until 1923.
Referred to at the time as "The Robert," the hospital merged with the Peter Bent Brigham and the Boston Hospital for Women in 1975, officially changing its name to Brigham and Women's Hospital in 1980. The former hospital matured into BWH's Division of Rheumatology, Immunology and Allergy in the Department of Medicine.
"Significant practices in the rheumatology specialty evolved at the Robert B. Brigham Hospital, including the use of cortisone to manage rheumatoid arthritis and the notion of having separate occupational and physical therapy departments," according to the records. It "established the first hospital-based occupational therapy department," as well as the professionalization of orthopedic nursing.
The Division of Rheumatology, Immunology and Allergy continues to thrive today, consistently ranking as one of the top 10 rheumatology programs in the country by U.S. News and World Report.
The original buildings of the hospital are located at the top of Mission Hill, now part of New England Baptist Hospital.
The original printed version of this story did not mention the significant contributions of Elizabeth Fay Brigham, Robert Breck Brigham's sister and the director of the corporation organized to create the Robert Breck Brigham Hospital for Incurables. She died in 1909, adding $1.5 million of her estate toward the construction of the hospital. It was chartered in 1903, and 10 acres of land were purchased as a building site on top of Mission Hill in Boston in 1905. The construction was completed in 1914. Her generous efforts helped to fund the completion of the hospital, and her estate continues to support BWH today.