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Summary

Publications Note

General Note

Arrangement

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A guide to the Pennsylvania Hospital Records,
1751 - 1978 [Bulk 1751 - 1929]

Historic Collections, Pennsylvania Hospital, Philadelphia, PA USA

Compiled by Bonnie Ellen Blustein with a Preface by Caroline Morris, 1978

Revised 2007

Note: the entire Finding Aid will require approximately 36 pages to print.
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  • Processed by: Historic Collections Staff
  • Extent: Approx. 2,000 linear feet
  • Provenance: Pennsylvania Hospital
  • Access: Patient, staff and student records are restricted
  • Citation: Pennsylvania Hospital records, Pennsylvania Hospital, Historic Collections, Philadelphia, PA
  • Funding Note: This collection was processed and microfilmed in part with funds provided by the American Philosophical Society and the National Library of Medicine (NIH Grant IM 02291).

Contact Information

Stacey C Peeples
Curator-Lead Archivist
Pennsylvania Hospital
Historic Collections
3 Pine East
800 Spruce St.
Philadelphia, PA 19107

Phone: (215) 829-5434
Fax: (215) 829-7155
Email: stacey.peeples@uphs.upenn.edu

Summary

The archives of the Hospital remain an unbroken series from 1751 to 1978. They provide a unique resource for students in the history of hospital development, health care and medicine. The collection includes personal papers of hospital practitioners as well as the records of affiliates absorbed by Pennsylvania Hospital such as the Philadelphia Dispensary, the Preston Retreat, the Southern Dispensary, the Philadelphia Lying-In Charity, the Maternity Hospital, the Nurse Charity, and the Humane Society.

Publications Note

The following titles provide historical overviews of the hospital:

Tomes, Nancy. A Generous Confidence: Thomas Story Kirkbride and the art of asylum-keeping, 1840-1883. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1984.

Williams, William Henry, 1936- . The Pennsylvania Hospital, 1751-1801, an internal examination of Anglo-America's first hospital. [Newark], University of Delaware, 1971; [Ann Arbor, University Microfilms, c1972].

Packard, Francis R. (Francis Randolph), 1870-1950. Some account of the Pennsylvania Hospital, from its first rise to the beginning of the year 1938. Philadelphia [1957] 2nd print., with a continuation of the account to the year 1956, by Florence M. Greim.

Morton, Thomas George, 1835-1903. Woodbury, Frank, 1848- . The History of the Pennsylvania Hospital, 1751-1895. New York, Arno Press, 1973 [c1895]

General Note

Funding Note

In 1965, Pennsylvania Hospital received its first grant from the American Philosophical Society to organize and microfilm the first one hundred years of the archives.

In 1974, the National Library of Medicine granted the Pennsylvania Hospital funding to inventory the Historic Library and to organize the second hundred years of the archives. These records reflect the growth of the Hospital, the increased specialization of medical care and the merger of small hospitals with this institution. The records also reflect the development of institutional mental health care in a separate physical facility.

In 1976, the National Library of Medicine awarded the Hospital another grant to re-catalog the historic medical library and to complete the organization and microfilming of the second hundred years of archives.

Note on Restricted Access

Not all materials in the collection are publicly accessible or reproducible. The physical condition of an item, copyright issues, donor restrictions, and Federal or State regulations will determine restrictions on access and reproductions.

According to the Hospital Insurance Portability & Accountability Act (HIPAA), effective April 14th, 2003, Hospital employees are not permitted to provide access to identifying information of any patient - past, present, or future. As a result, access to, or reproductions of, any images in which patients appear, cannot be granted, unless the patients' faces are blurred so as to be unrecognizable.

State law 50 P.S. 7111 prohibits the use of all patient mental health records.

The Pennsylvania Hospital closes non-mental health patient records for 100 years. Records older than 100 years are open for researchers to view. All non-patient related material is closed for 75 years from its creation. Certain restrictions might still apply on specific records.

Requests for Reproductions and Publishing/ Use Rights

When deemed appropriate, and when not restricted by federal or donor regulations, the Archivist may grant one-time, non-exclusive rights to publish hospital-owned images. Reproduction costs, Service charges, and Publication/ use fees may apply.

All requests for image reproductions must be in writing and should be delivered to the Hospital Archivist at least three weeks prior to the date the image is needed. Please request to view the "Details of Image Reproduction Services" information page and the "Image Services Fee Schedule" for additional information regarding image reproductions.

The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies and other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of the specified conditions is that the photocopy or other reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship or research." If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use," that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law.

Reproductions of materials in the Historic Collections of Pennsylvania Hospital are provided as a service to expedite research and lessen wear on image/ documents, and are made solely for the personal use of the individual researcher requesting them. Reproductions may not be transferred to another individual or organization, deposited at another institution, or reduplicated without prior permission of the Pennsylvania Hospital. Duplication by the Hospital in no way transfers either the copyright or the property right. Similarly, duplication by the Hospital does not constitute permission to publish, or to display materials, without the express written consent of the Pennsylvania Hospital Archivist via a signed Permission to Publish and/or Exhibit Materials form, and the payment of use fees where applicable.

 

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Arrangement

The collection is arranged in three sections:

Section I. Records of Pennsylvania Hospital, Department of Sick and Injured at Eighth Street

Section II. Institute of the Pennsylvania Hospital Records. Some early Institute records will be found in section I. of the finding aid.

Section III. Historic Image Collection, ca. 1749-1997

Section I, Series 1. Board of Managers, 1751-1975.

The Managers were the most important administrative body in the Hospital, making most policy decisions as well as supervising the day-to-day functions of the institution. Their Minutes, the complete set of which has been preserved, thus constitute a very valuable source of information about nearly every non-medical aspect of the work of the Hospital. Each month two members of the Board served, in rotation as Attending Managers, visiting the Hospital frequently and reporting to the full Board. Their responsibilities included admitting and discharging patients, inspecting the wards, hearing the officers’ reports, and examining the financial records. The compete run of the Attending Managers' Accounts, included in the Archives, is thus another very useful set of records.

Board of Managers. Minutes, 1751-1975, in 95 volumes.
With index to first seven volumes, 1751-1824. Minutes contain Annual Accounts until 1803 when the Accounts were transferred to a separate Annual Accounts Book. Index to Minutes, 1751-1824.

  • Minutes, v. 1, May 1, 1751 - May 2, 1757.
  • Minutes, v. 2, May 4, 1757 - May 5, 1764.
  • Minutes, v. 3, Map 14, 1764 - May 1, 1769.
  • Minutes, v. 4, May 8, 1769 - Feb. 22, 1775.
  • Minutes, v. 5, March 4, 1777 - April 26, 1784.
  • Minutes, v. 6, May 10, 1784 - April 28, 1794.
  • Minutes, v. 7, May 12, 1794 - May 5, 1804.
  • Minutes, v. 8, May 14, 1804 - May 4, 1833.
  • Minutes, v. 9, Map 13, 1833 - Dec. 27, 1858 .
  • Minutes, v. 10, Jan. 31, 1859 - May 5, 1877.
  • (through May 1860)
  • (May 1860 - May 1877)
  • Minutes, v. 11, May 1877 - April 1895.
  • Minutes, v. 12, May 1895 - Feb. 1910.
  • Minutes, v. 13, March l910 - Nov. 1916.
  • Minutes, v. 14, may 1916 - May 1919.
  • Minutes, v. 15, May 1919 - Dec. 1921.
  • Minutes, v. 16, Jan. l922 - Nov. 1923.
  • Minutes, v. 17, Jan. l924 - Dec. l925.
  • Minutes, v. 18, 1926.
  • Minutes, v. 19, 1927.
  • Minutes, v. 20, 1928.
  • Minutes, v. 21, 1929.
  • Minutes, 1930 - 1970, in 61 volumes.
  • Minutes, 1971 - 1975, in 13 volumes.

Board of Managers. Rough Minutes, 1781 - 1916, in 13 volumes.
Lists of Applicants for position Resident Physician, 1868 - 1916 (five volumes), were included and filmed from end of Board of Managers, Rough Minutes. Lists include date, name of Applicant, action on application (accepted, rejected, withdrew). No such lists found in earlier volumes of Rough Minutes. No more lists kept after 1916.

Attending Managers. Accounts, Feb. 11, 1752- 1961, in 51 volumes.
These accounts contain lists of patients, Steward's and Matron's monthly accounts, and lists of medical pupils (1789 - 1813).

Attending Managers. Monthly Reports, 1801 -1825, in three vols.

Attending Managers, Monthly Reports, 1762 -1801, 1804 - 1820, in 2 boxes.
Annual Accounts, 1769 - 1840, of Board of Managers, arranged chronologically in one box (set not complete). These are rough drafts of the annual accounts; the final drafts of some (those between 1804 and 1840) appear in the bound volume of Annual Accounts, 1804 - 1852, listed below. The box also contains a "General Abstract of the Accounts for the Hospital" from Feb. 1752 - May 1763, and two copies of a "Summary of Hospital Accounts" for the period 1762 - 1769.

Annual Accounts, examined and adjusted by a Committee of the Managers, for 1804 - 1895, in two volumes. Include: Treasurer's Accounts; Steward's Accounts, Receipts and Expenditures; Legacies, Contributions, and Donations; Capital Stock; List of Patients and Abstracts of Cases.

Annual Elections and Meetings. Ledgers. Arranged in chronological order, including the following years: 1826, 1827, 1828, 1829, 1830, 1831, 1833, 1834, 1835, 1836, 1840, 1851, 1855, 1856, 1863, 1864, 1867, 1875, 1876, 1888, 1895, 1900, two undated.

Annual Reports, 1794 - 1841 (printed broadsides), in one volume.

Laws and Regulations pertaining to Pennsylvania Hospital, to 1856, in one volume.

Letter Book, Nov, 4, 1786 - Dec, 30, 1828, in one volume. With index, complete except for pages 106 - 109 (covering 1818 - 1828).

Letter Book, Jan. - Dec. 1915.

Minutes of Committee appointed to collect the outstanding debts due to the Hospital, Nov. 19, 1788 - April 16, 1801, in one volume.

Miscellaneous papers originating with Managers, arranged chronologically, 1751 - 1860 in two boxes. Those items available in Minutes in same exact form (i.e., resolutions, minutes, letters) were not filmed. At end of run is an incomplete set of Dr. Kirkbride's Monthly Reports, 1847 - 1860. For additional reports, see also, Superintendent-Steward of the Department for the Insane. Monthly Reports.

Miscellaneous papers, 1880 - 1910, in eleven boxes. Box 4 includes partial index.

Miscellaneous papers, 1911 - 1928, in ten boxes.

Contributive Record, 1890. Record of individuals' annual contributions.

Development and Public Relations Material, ca. 1930 - 1960, in two boxes

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Section I, Series 2. Financial and Real Estate Records, 1724-1973.

Funding Note
The processing of this collection was made possible through a grant from the National Historic Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).

Provenance
The financial records of the Pennsylvania Hospital have been housed in the Pine Building since its completion, resulting in a remarkably complete set of records, which reflect the development of the Hospital from 1751 until approximately 1920, when there appear to have been changes in record-keeping procedures and shifts in responsibilities of key hospital personnel.

History of Pennsylvania Hospital Finances
The Pennsylvania Hospital was founded in 1751 by Dr. Thomas Bond and Benjamin Franklin. Chartered by the Colonial Government, the Pennsylvania Hospital has the distinction of being the first hospital in America to care for the sick poor. The original building on Eighth and Pine Streets, completed in 1755, was expanded over the years, as demand for a larger facility grew.

The vitality of every charitable organization depends upon securing financial support from the government and private individuals. This was equally true in 1751, when Benjamin Franklin, at the request of Thomas Bond, presented a petition to the Pennsylvania Assembly that proposed a hospital “to care for the sick poor of the Province and for the reception and care of lunaticks.” Franklin convinced the Assembly to support the project by asserting that prominent supporters of the Hospital would raise 2,000 pounds from private citizens, if the Assembly would match the funds raised. Anticipating that Franklin would not be able to raise the required money, the Assembly approved the plan. Hospital supporters had preemptively gathered pledges in excess of the amount needed, and the bill creating funds for a hospital was signed into law on May 11, 1751. The money received from the Assembly was kept in a capital stock fund, which was to be maintained and grown through investments in property and shares in companies.

To facilitate fundraising and to educate the public about the mission of Pennsylvania Hospital, Franklin wrote and published a pamphlet entitled Some Account of Pennsylvania Hospital in 1754. This publication served as an annual report to contributors, as well as a request for new supporters. Included in the report was an appeal for contributions, promising that with the contribution of ten pounds or more, the individual would become eligible to vote in the election of the Managers and Treasurer of the Hospital. In 1761, another financially vulnerable period, this book was updated and reprinted to appeal, once again, to the public’s generosity.

In addition to official grants from the Assembly and donations from the Contributors, the Managers raised funds for the Hospital using charity boxes that were placed around the Hospital and in individuals’ homes. Financial assistance of various types enhanced the Hospital’s ability to serve the community; some wealthy patrons donated stock in local companies that would yield benefits over a long period of time, others granted the Hospital land rights, which made it possible to collect rents from tenants and expand the Hospital’s grounds. The Penn family donated much of the lot upon which the Pennsylvania Hospital still stands.

Donors of modest means often gave money to endow a bed in honor of a loved one who was treated at the Pennsylvania Hospital. Many of the plaques made to commemorate the donations are still on display in the Hospital today. Other methods of raising funds for operating expenses included requiring gratuities from visitors who came to see the patients from the insane ward as they walked the Hospital grounds, charging a small admission fee to see Benjamin West’s painting “Christ Healing the Sick in the Temple,” and collecting entry fees from charity concerts and lectures throughout the city. Several working farms were also operated by the Hospital, generating funds through sales of agricultural products while also supplying milk and produce for hospital use.

Pennsylvania Hospital was favored by many English donors affiliated with the Society of Friends, including John Fothergill, David Barclay, and Thomas Hyam. Because of the assistance of these supporters, the Hospital became the beneficiary of monies held in the London Land Company. Between 1760 and 1787, Fothergill, Franklin, and David Barclay acted as the Hospital’s agents in London and negotiated the transfer of funds to the newly formed Pennsylvania Land Company. This money could not have come at a more crucial time since the Hospital’s capital stock was severely depleted by the devaluation of Continental currency and the use of Hospital resources to care for soldiers that the Contributors to Pennsylvania Hospital borrowed money on their personal credit to keep the Hospital operating. Over one half of the hospital’s capital stock was decimated when the Hospital was forced to accept repayment of some loans in the nearly worthless Continental currency.

Though this was by no means the last financially vulnerable period in the Hospital’s history, by the nineteenth century, Pennsylvania Hospital’s mission was more widely known and supported. Bequests became crucial in the maintenance of the capital stock fund, and the cultivation of donors was a constant concern, as it continues to be today. Large donations provided the base funds for renovations to hospital facilities and the construction of new buildings, allowing Pennsylvania Hospital to continue to operate in a modern environment.

Time Line

1751--A charter is granted by the Pennsylvania legislature to establish a hospital to care for the sick-poor and insane.

1752—The Pennsylvania Assembly grants the Hospital managers 2,000 pounds to help establish the new hospital. Pennsylvania Hospital begins operations from a temporary location on High Street.

1754— The Managers purchase a plot of ground between Eighth and Ninth Streets where they would begin construction of a permanent home for the hospital.

1756—Charles Norris acts as Treasurer for the Pennsylvania Hospital.

1756—The first patients were admitted to the Hospital's new home on Eighth Street.

1756-1760—Samuel Rhoads is elected Treasurer; Elizabeth Gardiner is Matron of the Pennsylvania Hospital.

1760-1768—Hugh Roberts serves as Hospital Treasurer.

1760-1767—George Weed is Steward of the Pennsylvania Hospital; Weed’s wife Esther serves as Matron.

June 7, 1760—a letter from Thomas Hyam informs the Managers that an act of Parliament had passed, in which was inserted a clause granting any unclaimed money from the Pennsylvania Land Company in London remaining after June 24, 1770 to the Pennsylvania Hospital.

1762—The Pennsylvania Assembly grants the Hospital 3,000 pounds to replenish Capital Stock.

1767—Thomas and Richard Penn donate the remaining land on the block between Eighth & Ninth and Spruce and Pine Streets, making this entire area part of the Hospital property.

1767-1769—Mary Ball serves as Matron.

1768-1769—Samuel Preston Moore is Treasurer.

1769—Thomas and Richard Penn donate another plot of ground south of Ninth & Spruce Streets.

1769-1772—Thomas Wharton is Hospital Treasurer, overseeing financial transactions related to the Pennsylvania Land Company in London; Sarah Harlan serves as the Hospital’s Matron.

1772-1773—Joseph King serves as Treasurer.

1773-1776—John Saxton is Steward.

1773-1780—Joseph Hillborn is elected Treasurer.

1776-1777—wounded Continental and British soldiers are treated at the Pennsylvania Hospital, depleting the funds and supplies of the Hospital.

1776-1780—John Story is Steward.

1777-1784—devaluation of Continental currency; the Hospital’s capital stock is depleted, and the income of the Hospital severely limited.

1778—evacuation of Philadelphia by the British.

1780—the Pennsylvania Legislature grants Pennsylvania Hospital Managers 10,000 in Continental money to supplement the Hospital income after many British soldiers received services in the Hospital, at a great expense to the organization and the province.

1780-1795—Joseph Henszey is Hospital Steward; his wife serves as Matron.

1780-1799—Mordecai Lewis is Hospital Treasurer.

1782—Admiralty Acts assign unclaimed prize money to the Hospital (approx. 2,300 pounds).

1787—Remaining money from the Pennsylvania Land Company in London is transferred to the Managers of the Pennsylvania Hospital.

1793—Pennsylvania Hospital is granted arrears due the Loan Office—Managers become trustees of the Loan Office—$26,666 for completion of the West and Center buildings of the Hospital. The same act allots unclaimed dividends of bankrupts’ estates to the Hospital.

1796—West wing of hospital completed.

1796-1803—Francis Higgins is appointed Steward; his wife Hannah is Matron.

1799-1826—Joseph S. Lewis is elected Treasurer.

1804—Center wing of hospital completed; opening of the surgical amphitheatre.

1804-1808—William Johnson serves as Steward, his wife is Matron.

1808-1812—Francis and Hannah Higgins are reappointed as Steward and Matron.

1813-1826—Samuel Mason and his wife serve as Steward and Matron of the Hospital.

1826-1830—Isaac and Ann Bonsall are Steward and Matron.

1826-1841—Samuel N. Lewis serves as Treasurer.

1830-1849—Allen Clapp serves as Hospital Steward.

1841—The Pennsylvania Hospital for the Insane opens in West Philadelphia to accommodate the large number of insane patients who were formerly treated at the Eighth Street Hospital.

1841-49—William G. Malin becomes Steward of the Pennsylvania Hospital for the Insane in West Philadelphia.

1849-1883—William G. Malin returns to the Pennsylvania Hospital to act as Steward.

1841-1881—John T. Lewis is Hospital Treasurer.

1856—The Humane Society ceases operation, and money is transferred to the Hospital accounts; a memorial is presented to the Legislature, proposing the allowance for larger contributions and bequests to the Hospital.

1859—The second section of the Pennsylvania Hospital for the Insane is completed; the original building becomes the department for females, the new building becomes the department for males.

1881-1906—Henry Haines serves as Treasurer.

1883-1886—Richard Cadbury is Steward.

1886-1891—Benjamin Hoopes serves as the Hospital’s Steward.

1891-1895—Jonathan G. Williams is appointed Steward.

1892—Work begins on the modern hospital at Eighth Street.

1896-1920—Daniel D. Test is Hospital Steward.

1906—Provident Life & Trust Co. acts as Treasurer until a replacement for Henry Haines can be found.

1906-1920s— Edward Y. Hartshorne is elected Treasurer of the Pennsylvania Hospital.


Scope and Content of the Financial and Real Estate Records

Due to the large span of time covered in these records, there are considerable variations in record-keeping practices between Treasurers. When they were elected, the Treasurers were bound to a contract stating that they would render reports on the state of Hospital accounts on a periodic basis to the Board of Managers. These reports included summaries of expenditures by the Steward, Matron, and Treasurer, as well as income generated by ground rents, capital stock, contributions, patient board, and other miscellaneous sources. The result of this reporting practice is that there are fairly complete records of the financial dealings of the Hospital until 1920, when some procedural change impacted record keeping, producing a sizable gap in the financial documents. Based on limited information from the Board of Managers’ minutes, it seems likely that much of the record-keeping responsibility fell away from the Steward and was delegated to an assistant.

Prior to 1920, the accounting practices of the Hospital were administered by the Treasurer and a Steward/Superintendent. The Steward and/or Matron (who was often the Steward’s wife) were responsible for the day-to-day spending of the Hospital, including the purchase of food, clothing for patients, medicine, bedding, furniture, hay for livestock, maintenance of houses and buildings owned by the Hospital, and wages to day laborers. The Steward’s finances were administered by the Treasurer, who was responsible for allocating and accounting for all hospital expenditures and receipts.

The collection has been divided into three series, 1. Treasurer—Finance; 2. Treasurer—Real Estate; 3. Steward/Superintendent. These series were derived first by whether the responsibilities represented by a group of documents were delegated to the Treasurer or the Steward, then roughly according to the subject matter that the transaction documented. Every effort was taken to clearly divide Treasurer’s materials into “Finance” and “Real Estate,” though some of the papers were less obviously fitted to only one category.

Series I. Treasurer—Finance, 1751-1971

This series consists of approximately fifty linear feet of files, ledgers and oversize materials that document loans, gifts, contributions, grants and other sources of income throughout the Hospital’s history. Also documented in the Finance records are Hospital expenditures for capital improvements and the administration of loans. This series covers the broadest span of time, making it useful for analyzing shifts in the economics of health care. Included in these materials are wills, bonds, and other legal documents.

The Finance papers are further divided into sixteen subseries: A. Accounts Payable, B. Accounts Receivable, C. Balance Sheets, D. Bankrupt Estates, E. Bonds, F. Capital Stock, G. Cash Books/Day Books/Ledgers, H. Contributions, I. Correspondence, J. Estates and Trusts, K. Loan Office of 1773, L. Minutes, M. Pennsylvania Land Company, N. Power of Attorney, O. Receipts, P. Reports.

Series II. Treasurer—Real Estate, 1724-1914

The Real Estate series of the Financial Records collection consists of approximately twenty linear feet of material, much of which is oversize. Included in this series are original parchment deeds, surveys of properties, mortgages, title searches, insurance policies, and records relating to rental properties owned by the Pennsylvania Hospital.

To facilitate access, this series has been divided into the following subseries: A. Accounts, B. Correspondence, C. Deeds, D. Ground Rents, E. Insurance, F. Mortgages, G. Properties, H. Taxes.

Series III. Steward/Superintendent, 1751-1921

This series comprises the largest segment of the Financial Records collection, and offers insights into patient care, services provided, methods of treatment used, and nutrition over the course of the Hospital’s first 150 years. The Steward/Superintendent records provide a detailed view of the goods and services contracted for the daily operation of the hospital. The majority of this series consists of receipts and bills, which are supplemented by the cash books, ledgers, and receipt books used to record transactions. Also included in this series are accounts of wages paid to hospital employees and costs relative to building materials and repairs to facilities.

The Steward was a staff doctor who oversaw the daily operations of the hospital’s various departments. His tasks included purchasing supplies needed for patient care, maintenance of the hospital buildings, and care of grounds and animals belonging to the hospital. Typically, a Matron was also employed to share the broad range of responsibilities involved in this position. The Matron would administer issues more directly related to patient care, such as making or purchasing clothes for patients, and caring for the bodies of patients who died.

The Steward/Superintendent series has been divided into the following ten subseries: A. Apothecary, B. Building/Repairs, C. Cash Books, D. Ledgers, E. Correspondence, F. Household Expenses, G. Monthly Accounts, H. Receipts, I. Reports, J. Services/Wages.

Preferred Citation

Financial Records Collection. Courtesy of the Pennsylvania Hospital Historic Collections, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

See Also

Board of Managers’ minutes; Institute of Pennsylvania Hospital Steward’s Records.

Box List

Series I: Treasurer, Finance

Subseries A: Accounts Payable Boxes 1-5, 11

This subseries consists of receipted bills for major hospital expenses, wages of hospital employees, costs associated with the administration of loans, and records of payments on loans. Oversize materials are housed separately.

Subseries B: Accounts Receivable Box 5

In addition to receiving payments on loans and overdue balances on patient accounts, the Treasurer also handled dividends gained on stocks. This subseries offers a sampling of these activities.

Subseries C: Balance Sheets Boxes 6, 6.1, 11

This subseries is made up primarily of accounting worksheets that illustrate the state of the Hospital’s funds as handled by a particular Treasurer. In some cases, the worksheets summarize the receipts and payments made by the Steward. Because the Treasurer was ultimately responsible for all of the Hospital’s accounts, the records of the Steward were necessary for accurate reporting. Oversize materials are housed separately.

Subseries D: Bankrupt Estates Box 6

The colonial legislature funded the Pennsylvania Hospital in a number of innovative ways, one of which was the designation of unclaimed dividends from bankrupts’ estates to a special fund benefiting the Hospital. This subseries contains summary statements of these funds.

Subseries E: Bonds Box 7

Many of the bonds in this subseries are between the Contributors to Pennsylvania Hospital and the Hospital’s Treasurers. There are also bonds between individuals for mortgages that were transferred to the Hospital.

Subseries F: Capital Stock (arranged chronologically) Boxes 7, 11, flat files

This subseries documents the fluctuations in funds maintaining the hospital’s infrastructure, which were invested in stocks and real estate. The majority of documents are summaries of investments, providing little detail about any particular entry. For more detailed information, consult the Cash Books/Daybooks/Ledgers, Correspondence, and Estates and Trusts subseries. Oversize materials are housed separately.

Subseries G: Cash Books/Daybooks/Ledgers Boxes 12-25

The Cash/Day Books contain information on salaries paid, money designated for expenses of each branch of the Hospital, loans, shares in companies, bonds, ground rents, contributions received, insurance, board of patients, capital stock, and mortgages.

  • Box 12: Cash Book and Ledger. 1752-1777, Hugh Roberts, Thomas Wharton, Joseph King, and Joseph Hillborn, Treasurers.
  • Box 13: Cash Book and Ledger. 1777-1801, Joseph Hillborn, Mordecai Lewis, and Joseph S. Lewis, Treasurers.
  • Box 14: Cash Book. 1801-1824, Joseph S. Lewis, Treasurer.
  • Box 15: Cash Book. 1824-1848, Samuel N. Lewis and John T. Lewis, Treasurers.
  • Box 16: Cash Book. 1848-1865, John T. Lewis, Treasurer.
  • Box 17: Cash Book/Day Book. 1865-1882, John T. Lewis and Henry Haines, Treasurers.
  • Box 18: Cash Book/Day Book. 1882-1897, Henry Haines, Treasurer.
  • Box 19: Cash Book/Day Book. 1897-1918, Henry Haines and Edward G. Hartshorne, Treasurers.
  • Box 20: Cash Book/Day Book. 1918-1920, Edward G. Hartshorne, Treasurer.

The Ledgers give the details of particular accounts (i.e., payments with dates, as well as who made the payment), mostly in the case of mortgages, bonds, and ground rents.

  • Box 21: Ledger B1. 1788-1795; Ledger B2. 1788-1825.
  • Box 22: Ledger C. 1825-1836; Ledger D. 1836-1855.
  • Box 23: Ledger E. 1855-1880.
  • Box 24: Ledger F. 1880-1904.
  • Box 25: Ledger (Provident Life and Trust Co.). 1904-1915.

Subseries H: Contributions Boxes 7-8

This subseries contains records of fundraising efforts, lists of contributors, contribution certificates, as well as a small amount of correspondence included with contributions. In addition to these general records, there are a group of small leather-bound notebooks that were used to document subscriptions collected by individuals during a fundraising campaign in 1867. The following individuals collected money for the Hospital’s 1867 Appeal: Jacob P. Jones, Joseph C. Turnpenny, William Biddle, M.L. Dawson, Charles Ellis, H.C. Lea, H.C. Gibson, Benjamin Marshall, Edward S. Buckley, Samuel Welsh, Samuel R. Shipley, and F.G. Smith. Two of the books have no name to identify the collector. Inside the cover of each book is a list of other persons authorized to collect money for the Appeal.

Subseries I: Correspondence (arranged alphabetically by author) Boxes 9-11

Dealing specifically with loans managed by the Hospital, much of the correspondence references transactions that took place through either the Loan Office or the Pennsylvania Land Company. It is especially evident in this subseries how intertwined the finance and real estate functions of the Treasurer were. Oversize materials are housed separately.

Subseries J: Estates and Trusts (arranged alphabetically) Boxes 25.1, 25.2, 26-55

Encompassing a wide range of legacies received by the Hospital, this subseries is one of the most comprehensive and complete aspects of the collection. Unlike the bulk of the financial records, the Estates and Trusts files carry through into the 1970s. These files detail investments, legal issues related to specific estates, and correspondence between executors and the Hospital Managers. Included in this subseries are wills and records of Orphan’s Court rulings in some cases.

  • Box 25.1: Copies of Wills 1752-1927; Copies of Wills 1760s-1843; Legacies and Contributions 1760s- ; List of Contributions, legacies, donations 1751-1897

Subseries K: Loan Office of 1773 Boxes 11, 56

This subseries consists of papers generated when Pennsylvania Hospital Managers were made trustees of the State Loan Office, from 1793-1806. Most of the loans the Office administered were for the cost of mortgages. There were officers across the state who collected on delinquent accounts or seized property in the case of longstanding unpaid debts. Many of the records in this subseries are listed by county. Oversize materials are housed separately.

Subseries L: Minutes Box 57, 59-60

This subseries is relatively small, consisting mainly of two bound volumes of Contributors’ and Real Estate committee minutes. Also included are extracts of Managers’ minutes related to purchases of land and other financial matters. Once again, there is a fair amount of overlap between the finance and real estate responsibilities of the Treasurer.

  • Box 59: Contributors’ Minutes
  • Box 60: Real Estate Committee Minutes

Subseries M: PA Land Company Box 57

These papers offer an account of monies granted by the British Parliament to the Hospital, which were vested in the Pennsylvania Land Company in London. The acquisition and transfer of these funds were facilitated by John Fothergill and David Barclay over the course of twenty years. The majority of material detailing the activities of the Loan Office is grouped with Correspondence.

Subseries N: Power of Attorney Box 57

This subseries consists entirely of Power of Attorney documents, most of which authorize the Hospital’s Treasurers to act on behalf of the Contributors.

Subseries O: Receipts Boxes 58, 61

This is another small subseries, the bulk of which is made up of books of check stubs.

Subseries P: Reports Boxes 58, 61

The majority of this subseries are miscellaneous committee reports, with most committees only being represented by one report. There is no historical continuity. The most interesting item in this subseries is the Summary of Fiscal History, which presents a picture of the first one hundred years of the Hospital’s financial decisions, primarily using a series of tables that graphically represent the Hospital’s gains and losses.

Series II: Treasurer, Real Estate

Subseries A: Accounts Boxes 62-63

Many of the properties owned by Pennsylvania Hospital were managed by real estate agents who collected rent, paid bills for the properties, and dealt with tenant issues. This subseries is composed of the receipted bills and correspondence of these agents. Because of variations in record-keeping, or the transfer of records, some materials may have become separated from the original grouping of receipts. These receipts may also be located in subseries J: Taxes, as well as in series one, subseries A: Accounts Payable, or in series three, subseries C: Building/Repairs.

Subseries B: Correspondence Boxes 63-65

The Correspondence subseries consists of letters regarding transfer of ownership, management, and purchase of land; much of this correspondence references land owned by John Keble and Emmor Kimber.

Subseries C: Deeds Box 65, 68, 68.1, flat files

Though small, this subseries is one of the most interesting in the Real Estate papers because of the highly varied forms of parchment and paper deeds included. The earliest deed is from 1724, the latest from 1920. In addition to their utility in tracing the ownership of various plots of land, the parchment deeds are in excellent physical condition, making them fine examples of real estate documents in the 18th century. Oversize materials are housed separately.

Subseries D: Ground Rents Box 65

This subseries is comprised of records of payments by tenants, leases for properties owned by the Hospital, and legal opinions regarding actions taken with tenants.

Subseries E: Insurance Box 66, 68
This subseries consists of fire insurance policies from various insurance companies. Oversize materials are housed separately.

Subseries F: Mortgages Boxes 61, 66, 68, 68.1, flat files
Encompassing a wide range of document types, the Mortgages subseries is comprised of bonds, title searches, mortgages, receipts, and other miscellaneous papers. There is some overlap between this subseries and the Properties subseries, though the primary division is based on the fact that papers grouped in the Mortgages subseries most often reference property owners as opposed to the properties themselves. Oversize documents are housed separately.

Subseries G: Properties Boxes 66-68

This subseries contains materials relating to the John Keble and Emmor Kimber properties, including bonds, statements, surveys, power of attorney documents, and titles. In addition to the Keble and Kimber properties, there are records pertaining to several properties in West Philadelphia.

Subseries H: Taxes Box 67

Though the majority of this subseries consists of bills and receipts for taxes, a particularly interesting aspect of this subseries is the group of correspondence and legal opinions regarding the Hospital’s non-payment of taxes in the early nineteenth century. Because of the Managers’ insistence that they should not have to pay taxes, some property was liquidated at Sheriff’s sales. After several years of protest, the Legislature ultimately granted the Hospital its tax exempt status.

Series III: Steward/Superintendent

Subseries A: Apothecary Boxes 69-71, 141

This subseries is made up, primarily, of receipts for medicines and medical supplies, such as syringes, catheters, crutches, jars, alcohol, and other items purchased for the use of the Apothecary shop. Oversize materials are housed separately.

  • Boxes 69, 141: Inventories

Subseries B: Building/Repairs Boxes 72-78, 141

This subseries consists of bills for building materials and maintenance work done at Hospital-owned properties. Oversize materials are housed separately.

Subseries C: Cash Books Boxes 79-96

These bound volumes record the daily financial transactions performed by the Steward and Matron. See also Ledgers, Monthly Accounts, and Receipts.

  • Box 79: Cash Books 1754-1755; 1758-1759; 1758-1760; 1761-1764; 1764-1769; 1767-1768; 1768-1776; 1776-1784
  • Box 80: Cash Book 1789-1795; Cash Book 1795-1797
  • Box 81: Cash Book 1797-1800; Cash Book 1800-1804
  • Box 82: Cash Book 1804-1809; Cash Book 1809-1815
  • Box 83: Cash Book 1815-1820
  • Box 84: Cash Book 1820-1825
  • Box 85: Cash Book 1825-1831
  • Box 86: Cash Book 1831-1835
  • Box 87: Cash Book 1835-1844
  • Box 88: Cash Book 1844-1854
  • Box 89: Cash Book 1854-1864
  • Box 90: Cash Book 1864-1872
  • Box 91: Cash Book 1872-1880
  • Box 92: Cash Book 1880-1888
  • Box 93: Cash Book 1888-1897
  • Box 94: Cash Book 1897-1905
  • Box 95: Cash Book 1905-1912
  • Box 96: Cash Book 1912-1915

Subseries D: Ledgers Boxes 97-109

The Steward’s Ledgers list account debits and credits for workers at the hospital, patient board, clothing and/or funeral expenses, services provided, etc. These books also record bad debts and the cost of materials. The accounts listed in the Ledgers are a valuable source of information since they detail the patients who were “sponsored” by the account holders, providing notes about how long they were in the hospital, and often their class or ethnic background.

  • Box 97: Ledger A, 1781-1796; Ledger B, 1796-1802
  • Box 98: Ledger C, 1801-1804
  • Box 99: Ledger D, 1804-1816
  • Box 100: Ledger E, 1812-1819
  • Box 101: Ledger F, 1819-1833
  • Box 102: Ledger G, 1831-1842
  • Box 103: Ledger H, 1842-1860
  • Box 104: Ledger I, 1861-1876
  • Box 105: Ledger J (I: 2), 1873-1883
  • Box 106: Ledger K, 1856-1906
  • Box 107: Ledger L, 1906-1913
  • Box 108: Accounts 1781-1784; Accounts 1781-1790; Hospital Expenses 1920-1921; Miscellaneous Accounts
  • Box 109: Accounts with Drug Companies, 1898-1900

Subseries E: Correspondence Boxes 78, 110-112.2

The Steward’s letter books contain a wide range of correspondence—from orders of goods for hospital use to reports on the condition of patients—in carbon copy from either the Steward or the Secretary of the Board of Managers. In addition to the letter books, there is a smattering of correspondence from earlier time periods.

  • Box 110: Superintendent's Letter Books 1884-1903, 1903-1906, 1907-1909
  • Box 111: Superintendent's Letter Books 1909, 1909-1910, 1910
  • Box 112: Superintendent's Letter Books 1910-1911, 1911-1912
  • Box 112.1: Superintendent's Letter Books 1912-1913, 1913-1914
  • Box 112.2: Superintendent's Letter Books 1912-1915, 1914-1915, 1915-1916

Subseries F: Household Expenses Boxes 113-140, 141

This subseries consists almost entirely of receipts for goods and/or services purchased. The expenses ranged from butter and flour to clothing and coffins. In the cases where goods were purchased for patients, the patients are often identified by name. In an effort to simplify classification, and because of ambiguity in some cases, items that would have originally been broken down into categories such as “fodder”, “incidentals”, “furniture”, etc. were integrated into household expenses. For further specificity, see the Cash Books and Monthly Account books, which provide a succinct view of all the expenses for which the Steward was responsible. Oversize materials are housed separately.

Subseries G: Monthly Accounts Boxes 142-146

These bound volumes offer a summary view of all expenses handled by the Steward.

  • Box 142: Monthly Accounts 1842-1848, 1848-1854, 1854-1861, 1861-1869
  • Box 143: Monthly Accounts 1869-1876, 1876-1884, 1884-1892
  • Box 144: Monthly Accounts 1892-1900, 1908-1914
  • Box 145: Monthly Disbursements & Receipts 1824-1848, Monthly Disbursements & Receipts 1848-1860, Monthly Accounts 1900-1908
  • Box 146: Monthly Accounts 1908-1912, 1913-1917

Subseries H: Receipts Boxes 147-165

This subseries is made up entirely of bound volumes, in which the Steward recorded cash received, wages paid, and checks written. There are numerous entries in the category of “special nursing” that are recorded in conjunction with the patient’s name.

  • Box 147: Cash Received for Drugs 1909-1915; Check Stubs 1883-1884, 1884-1886, 1886-1888, 1888-1891
  • Box 148: Receipt Books 1795-1796, 1796-1797, 1797, 1797-1800
  • Box 149: Receipt Books 1800-1802, 1802-1804, 1804-1808, 1808-1810
  • Box 150: Receipt Books 1810-1812, 1813-1815, 1815-1817, 1817-1819
  • Box 151: Receipt Books 1819-1821, 1821-1823, 1823-1825, 1825-1827, 1827-1829, 1829-1831
  • Box 152: Receipt Books 1831-1833, 1833-1837, 1839-1843
  • Box 153: Receipt Books 1843-1849, 1849-1862, 1850-1852
  • Box 154: Receipt Books 1853-1854, 1855-1858, 1858-1861, 1861-1863
  • Box 155: Receipt Books 1866-1868, 1868-1876, 1871-1873
  • Box 156: Receipt Books 1873-1875, 1875-1877, 1877-1879, 1879-1881
  • Box 157: Receipt Books 1884-1885, 1885-1887, 1903-1907
  • Box 158: Receipt Books 1907-1911, 1911-1913, 1913-1915, 1915
  • Box 159: Miscellaneous Accounts 1912-1918, Receipts 1916
  • Box 160: Receipts for Wages 1885-1887, 1887-1894, 1894-1898
  • Box 161: Receipts for Wages 1898-1901, 1901-1904
  • Box 162: Receipts for Wages 1904-1907, 1907-1910
  • Box 163: Receipts for Wages 1910-1913, 1913-1915
  • Box 164: Receipts for Wages 1915-1917, 1917-1918
  • Box 165: Receipts for Wages 1918-1920, 1920-1921

Subseries I: Services/Wages Box 166

This subseries contains bills and receipts for services performed by contracted employees. The variety of services is wide-ranging—there are the mundane tasks of making clothes and cleaning the privy, as well as more notable services such as preparing bodies for burial.

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Section I, Series 3. Administration, 1754-1960.

In its earliest years, the Hospital was administered by a Matron or by a Steward or by a steward and matron working together. At this time the Steward often doubled as the Apothecary. After 1760, however, the Steward emerged as the highest executive officer of the Hospital. He took charge of disbursements for routine expenditures and of the supervision of the housekeeping staff and other employees, responsibilities which increased as the Hospital grew; and by the middle of the nineteenth century he had begun to play a role in policy-making. Reflecting the change in emphasis of the job, the title was changed at the end of the century, first to "Steward and Superintendent," then to "Superintendent," and by 1929 to "Administrator." The chief executive officers of the Hospital, regardless of their titles, were always appointed by the Board and served at its pleasure.

Attending Managers' Monthly Reports, 1842 - 1915.

Pennsylvania Hospital Receipts, March 1915 -May 1915. Receipts for patient accounts and hospital department accounts. One volume.

Pennsylvania Hospital Voucher Registers, 1915 - 1919, 1921, in two volumes. Receipts for patient accounts and other hospital department accounts: administration, social service, electricity, etc.

Linen Room Records, 1901 - 1922, in three volumes: 1901 - 1913; 1913 - 1917; 1917 - 1922.

Store Room Records, 1901 - 1921, in five volumes: 1901 - 1905; 1905 - 1909; 1909 - 1913; 1913 - 1917; 1917 - 1921.

Central Supply Record Book, 1933.

Pennsylvania Hospital Inventory Books, ca.1923 - 1924. Quantities on hand, quantities given out. Three volumes.

Record of distribution of Aprons, Towels, Face cloths, etc., among Staff, Nurses, Officers, Wards, etc., in three volumes: 1905 - 1908, 1909 - 1910, 1914 - 1917.

Superintendent-Steward. Miscellaneous letters 1905 - 1909.

Superintendent-Steward. Monthly reports to the Board of Managers, 1881, 1892 - 1901, in one box. Similar material is filed in Board of Managers. Miscellaneous papers, 1880 - 1928.

Cash Book, X-Ray Department (?), 1919 - 1923, in two volumes.

Mail Office Book, 1919 - 1921, in one volume.

Paymaster's Account Books, 1921 - 1922, in two volumes. Kept by T. D. Hendricks and E. M. Gilmore.

Elevator Operators, 1929 - 1931. Time Book for elevator operators.

Admission Desk Receipts, 1921 - 1923, in three volumes.

Administrative files, ca. 1939 - 1946, of material relating to World War II, in four boxes.

Administrative files, 1940, of general correspondence. (Correspondence mostly of former Administrator Mr. Hatfield.)

Administrative files, 1950 - 1960, of general correspondence.

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Section I, Series 4. Medical Staff, C.1750-1975.

List of medical students entitled to privilege of attending practice and use of the Library, 1814 - 1887, in two volumes. For students, see also lists at end of Attending Managers' Accounts for 1789 - 1815.

Notebook of Benjamin Morris, ca. 1750.

Lecture notes taken by (Reading Beatty?), 1779 - 1783, in one volume.

Memorandum Book kept by Benjamin Horner Coates, 1793, in one volume.

Notes from Dr. Physick's lectures, taken by Constans Curtin in winters of 1807 - 1808, 1808 - 1809.

Notebook kept by Thomas Chalkley James, 1814 - 1818: list of his students, selected weather observations, titles of lectures in his course on obstetrics. See also his scrapbooks of mortality tables.

Lecture notes taken from Mr. (Samuel?) Cooper's surgical lectures, Oct. 7 - (Nov. 16?), 1818.

Lecture notes taken at Medical Clinic , 1847 - 1848, Dr. (George B. ) Wood, in one volume.

John H. Gibbon. M.D. Diploma, Jefferson Medical College, 1891.

Joseph Parrish. Memorabilia, 1802 - 1837.

General material, loose papers: rules for appointment of staff, lists of pupils, University of Pennsylvania's proposal for Hospital teaching, application of women students, etc. In one box, arranged chronologically. Followed by material on individual apothecaries. Material ca. 1752 - 1858.

Material on individual physicians: applications, resignations, correspondence, etc. In three boxes, arranged alphabetically by names of physicians, prefaced by typed list of names included. Material ca. 1773 - 1859.

Bradbury, Dr. Samuel. Out-patient Department. Director's Notebook, 1928 - 1931, in one volume. Kept by Bradbury.

Coates, Benjamin Horner. Diploma of five years' service.

Course Book, 1888, in one volume.

Fisher, Henry MI Notebook, 1881 - 1889, in one volume.

Medical Staff, Lists of, Compiled ca. 1891, one volume.

Medical Staff--Obstetrics and Gynecology. Minutes and correspondence, 1929 - 1950, in seven volumes and one box. Continuation from Phila, Lying-in Charity. The seven volumes (loose-leaf) contain minutes. The box contains correspondence, visitors' registers, miscellaneous and loose material removed from minute book for 1924 - 1929.

For earlier records of above, see Series 8: Affiliates.

Phila. Lying-in Charity. Medical Staff. Minutes, 1924 - 1929, in one volume.

Physicians. Individual - Applications, acknowledgments, resignations, correspondence. Arranged by last name of physician.

Medical Staff. Resolutions, ca. 1902 - 1910, in one volume.

Meigs, Arthur V. Hospital Notes, 1880 - 1894, in five boxes.

Gibbons, John H. M.D. Memorabilia, donated by Mrs. Winthrop H. Bartles (Battles?) (1420 Locust Street).

Mitchell, Charles Franklin. Diplomas and Certificates, arranged chronologically:

Charles Franklin Mitchell. Base Hospital 10 collection, one box. Donated by Miss Anne F. Mitchell, daughter of C.F. Mitchell. Includes:

Out-patient Department. Physicians' Attendance Records, 1908 - 1927, in seven volumes.

Packard, Francis Randolph. Medical Historical Society of the Pennsylvania Hospital. Minutes, 1931 - 1941, in one volume.

Packard, Francis Randolph, Diary, 1881 - 1919. Original typed manuscripts, and photocopies up to 1919. Encompassing the following:

R. Packard. Reprints of thirteen of his approximately forty published scientific articles. Covers 1897 - 1916, arranged chronologically. Including:

Francis R. Packard. Reprints of 27 of his approximately 97 published Historical articles. Covers 1902 - 1949. Arranged chronologically. Including:

Francis R. Packard. Bound book of 23 of his Reprints. (Book A) Covers 1897 - 1905. Not in chronological order. Including:

Francis R. Packard. Bound books of nineteen of his Off-prints, (Book C.) Covers 1897-1905, not in chronological order. Including:

Francis R. Packard. Bound Book of 20 of his Off-prints. (Book D.) Covers 1885-1903, not in chronological order. Including:

Francis R. Packard. 12 original ink-wash drawings of anatomy, of which at least 10 are part of a series of at least 38 drawings. None are dated. Including:

The following were numbered by Packard:

Francis R. Packard, Memorabilia. Including:

Francis, R. Packard. Papers of Miss Florence M. Greim, Secretary to Administrator, concerning publication of Dr. Packard's History of the Pennsylvania Hospital. Box 6. Including:

History of Pennsylvania Hospital. Lectures prepared by Miss Greim, prior to 1954. Donated by Miss Joyce Cooper.

Photograph Album, ca. 1890, in 1 volume.

Resident Physicians. Memorabilia, 1900-1975, in 1 volume.

Wilson, Dr. T. C. A Record of cases treated by Hot Air apparatus, 1897 - 1898, in one volume. Kept by Wilson.

Pennsylvania Hospital History System (two identical copies). Describes standard system of Pennsylvania Hospital for taking patient Histories. Dated June, 1927.

Smith, Samuel B., Student of Medicine, 1807

Loulher, James M., Artis Medicinae Doctorem, 1865.

Souther, James. M., Artis Medicinae Doctorem, 1865.

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Section I, Series 5. Patients, 1752-1967.

State law 50 P.S. 7111 prohibits the use of all patient mental health records.

The Pennsylvania Hospital closes non-mental health patient records for 100 years. Records older than 100 years are open for researchers to view. All non-patient related material is closed for 75 years from its creation. Certain restrictions might still apply on specific records.

Book of Patients, 1781 - 1788, 1791 - 1796, in two volumes. Brief summary of admissions including discharge date.

Admission forms, roughly sorted by year, 1752 - 1856, in 66 boxes.

Admissions and Discharges, 1804 - 1927, in 44 volumes.
Daily lists of patients in both categories, chronological and concurrent. Admission data, 1864-1825, include name, diagnosis, security, pay or poor patient, but not discharge date. In 1825, country of origin was added, and in 1829, occupation, age, color, marital status. Discharge data, 1804-1852, include name, result of treatment, pay or poor patient, Beginning 1853, discharge date is added to admission information, to provide complete case history in each entry. Prior to 1804, most of this admission and discharge data is available from the Managers' Minutes and the Annual Accounts.

Brief summary of each admission, April 27, 1811 - Dec, 31, 1852, in 2 volumes. Data include only name, serial number, diagnosis, result of treatment, discharge date, pay or poor patient; entries arranged chronologically by date of admission, From 1811 - 1834, an Abstract of Cases is added at the end of April in each year. Discharges go through 1853.

Patients' Treatments and Results, 1872 - 1873, in two volumes. Admission data of each patient, diagnosis, brief history, summary of treatments and results.

Alphabetical listing of patients in Hospital, circa 1816 - 1926, in 17 volumes. In each volume, all names beginning with same initial are grouped together but kept in admission order. Each group begins with names of patients admitted earlier but remaining in Hospital or discharged during period covered by volumes. Formats vary somewhat: e.g., some include diagnosis and discharge date, while others include only admission date.

Admissions Book, 1882 - 1884. Patients listed chronologically by admission number. Data include name, age, date, occupation, birthplace, diagnosis, and physician's progress notes.

Pennsylvania Hospital, Record of Patients, Dec. 1947- Aug. 1948. Lists admission and discharge dates, ward number, home address.

Admissions and Discharges, 1922 - 1924, Number of patients admitted and discharged each day, and totals--i.e, a census book.

Receiving Ward admissions. Index, 1898 - 1930, 1933 - 1937, in 16 volumes.

Alphabetical List of admissions and discharges.

Hospital for the Insane, 1841 - 1860, At end: List of persons employed, 1846 - (1848). Institute of Penna. Hospital.

Pennsylvania Hospital. Patient accounts and receipts, 1915 - 1920, thumb-indexed, five volumes.

Pennsylvania Hospital. Receipts, 1915 - 1921. One volume.

Patients' Bills, 1912 - 1917, in two volumes.

Patients' Expenses, 1921 - 1923, 1930 - 1935, in three volumes.

Patient Ledger Book, June 1922 - Sept. 1923. Lists all charges for each patient.

Account Book, 1912 - 1918. Patient accounts.

Accounting--Patient Charges and Payments Records, 1916 - 1917.

Accounts of Collector of the Port and Agent for Marine Hospital, for care of U.S. seamen, 1818 - 1897, in five volumes. For earlier records, see Steward's Ledgers and admission forms, 1800 - 1809.

Admissions for U.S. seamen, 1800 - 1809, rough-sorted by year, in four boxes.

Accounts of pay patients, 1752 in one volume.

Accounts of House of Employment and Overseers of the Poor with Hospital, 1784 - 1789, in one volume. With miscellaneous loose papers concerned mainly with suit of Hospital against House of Employment, 1789 - 1791.

Immigration Bureau. Record of Immigrants sent to Pennsylvania Hospital, 1909 - 1910, in one volume.

Report of the Officer of Hygiene, Dr. Frank Woodberry, 1874 - 1875, in one volume.

Clothing Book, May 1, 1813 - Feb. 26, 1829, in one volume.

Bills and receipts for clothing for patients, ca. 1800 - 1825, in two boxes.

Deposit Book, 1891 - 1908, 1915 - 1918, in 8 volumes. Records of patients' belongings deposited upon their entrance to the Hospital.

Patients' Articles, 1931 - 1934, in three volumes. Articles received by patients by mail or delivery, e.g, flowers, packages.

Scrapbook of Mortality tables and related material compiled by Thomas C. James, including Philadelphia tables from 1807 to 1837, in two volumes.

The two volumes are duplicates, but with some varying inserted information. Inserted information includes unique items of assorted statistical data, including cities other than Philadelphia, for example, Statistical Chart, London, 1701 - 1776.

Autopsy Records, Oct. 3, 1853 - Sept, 10, 1861, in one volume. At end: extracts from texts or lectures on bandages, salivation, aneurysm and German synonyms.

Collection of cases, ca. 1803 - 1834, in two volumes, ("Hospital Cases").

Record of Accidents, 1852 - 1854, 1866 - 1883 in three volumes, For later records, see Casualty Books.

Casualty Books, 1884 - 1942, 1953 - 1957, 1959 - 1960, 1962 - 1963, in 98 volumes. (Later records available.) Men separated from women and children through 1898, combined thereafter.

Ambulance Records, 1877 - 1881, 1884 - 1928, in six volumes.

Out-Patients attended and supplied from the Dispensary of the Hospital, April 1797 - April 1817, in one volume, with annual abstracts.

Out-Patient Department (OPD), Medical Case Books, 1872 - 1883, in eleven volumes.

Out-Patient Department. Surgical Registers, 1869 - 1875, 1878 - 1881, in six volumes.

Fracture Books, 1854 - 1872, in 2 volumes.

Record of Operations, 1866 - 1873, 1883 - 1967, (43 volumes in all). From 1866 --1954 (except for the period 1873 - 1883), there is one record of operations including all surgical services combined, in chronological order (34 volumes), From 1955 to 1965, the records for different services are separated (general, ENT, oral, etc.); there are seven volumes for this period. Then, in 1966, the records for all services are again combined; two volumes cover the period 1966 -1967.

Record of Operations (all services), 1866 - 1873,1883 - 1954, in 34 volumes. (New format adopted in Jan. 1923.)

Record of Operations (general surgery), 1955 - 1959, in one volume.

Record of Operations (oral surgery), 1955 - 1965, in 2 volumes.

Record of Operations (eye, block, and lipiodal), 1955 - 1965, in one volume.

Record of Operations (orthopedics and fractures), 1955 - 1965, in one volume.

Record of Operations (ENT Service), 1955 - 1965, in one volume.

Record of Operations (gynecology), 1964 - 1965, in one volume.

Record of Operations (all services), Jan. 1966 - Oct 1966, in one volume, Thumb-indexed by surgical service.

Record of Operations (all services), Nov. 1966 - Dec. 1967, in one volume.

Lower Surgical Ward. Index, 1893 - 1896 in one volume.

Operation books, ca. 1896 - 1923, in ten volumes.

Statistical Summary of Operations, 1925 - 1926, in one volume.

Statistics of patients, cases, and diseases. Ledgers. In one box. Including:

  • Abstract of the cases, 4 mo. 27, 1878.
  • Statistics of the Pennsylvania Hospital, 4 mo. 26, 1879.
  • Statistics of the Pennsylvania Hospital, Department of the Sick. 4 mo. 28, 1888.
  • Abstract of the cases of patients treated in the Pennsylvania Hospital, in the year ending 4 mo. 28, 1888.
  • Report of Major Operations performed on patients remaining in house, tabulated by Dr. Frederick A. Packard. Not dated.
  • Undated statistics.

Case Histories, 1873 - 1927, in 254 volumes.
Binder's title: Pennsylvania Hospital Reports. Detailed patient charts bound together in order of admission, with some irregularities. Early volumes include index to diseases, bound in front.

Record of x-ray cases, 1897-1898, in one volume.

Patient case records, ca. 1930 - 1950. Includes maternity cases. Patient records are by medical record # and are interfiled with other records.

Maternity Department. Roll Books, 1930 - 1933, in four volumes. Combined records for Philadelphia Lying-In Charity and Maternity Hospital patients and staff.

Maternity Department. Patient Charts, ca. 1930 - 1932, in 7 boxes.

Maternity Department. Delivery Books, 1952 -1960, in 9 volumes.

Obstetrics-Gynecology. Surgical Records, 1951 - 1960, in 8 volumes.

Miscellaneous general material, loose papers ca. 1752 - 1858: rules for admission, care of lunatics, lists of out-patients, correspondence about care of U. S. seamen. These papers include Benjamin Rush's letter (1810) to the Managers regarding care of insane patients, as well as an admission from signed by Rush. In one box, in chronological order except for interment orders and security forms for patients, filed at end.

Miscellaneous papers relating to individual patients (except for admission forms), ca.1763 - 1860, in 4 boxes. Arranged alphabetically by patient's last name and prefaced by typed list of these names.

General material, ca. 1759 - 1840: on individual patients, bills for shaving patients, interment orders, bills for making of coffins, Almshouse correspondence, in one box.

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Section I, Series 6. Buildings And Grounds, c.1752-1929.

Accounts of cash paid by David Evans for materials and laborers' wages. Jan. 1794 - Feb. 1800. In one volume.

Accounts of the Committee on Repairs, etc.1846 - 1847, 1851 - 1852, in one volume.

Minutes on Committee on Alterations and Repairs of East Wing, Feb. 8, 1851 - April 23, 1853, in one volume.

Time Sheets for bricklayers, hod carriers and other laborers, June 1846 - Jan. 15, 1847, and March 20, 1851 - Oct. 28, 1852, in one volume.

Time Sheets for Carpenters, West Wing, May 1846 - Jan. 1847, March 1851 - Sept. 1851, in one volume.

Accounts of plumbing and heating costs foraltered Pine Street building, 1851 - 1852. Index at beginning, in one volume.

Miscellaneous papers: receipts and bills for building supplies, estimates for various projects, copies of Committee Reports. Arranged chronologically, in one box. At end are papers relating to garden, plants, trees. For material about gardeners, see Steward's Miscellaneous papers. Papers ca. 1752 - 1824. In addition, there are three boxes of miscellaneous papers: two boxes of papers relating to construction, alterations, and repairs, ca. 1768 - 1834, and one box of material relating to building supplies, ca. 1751 - 1823. These papers are roughly sorted into such categories as Carpentry work;. Painting and glazing; Pumps and plumbing; Clocks; Engines; Lumber; Paint Sand, gravel, bricks etc.

Minutes of Committee to consider plans for new buildings and alterations, 1891 - 1904, in one volume and one folder. Kept by Benjamin K. Shoemaker.

Construction Department Notebook on construction of Spruce Building, 1928 - 1929, in one volume. Includes photographs.

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Section I, Series 7. Library, Museum, & Benjamin West Painting, 1767-1950.

Manuscript catalogue of Library, ca. 1802 - 1826.

Manuscript catalogue of Library, ca. 1828 - 1906, in 3 volumes and supplement.

Library Pledge Books or Registers, 1812 - 1823, in two volumes.

Library Registers of books borrowed. 1824 - 1897, in five volumes.

Library Accessions Book, 1923 - 1942, in one volume. Later records available.

List of life subscribers to Library, in one volume. Arranged alphabetically. Earliest entry apparently 1786, latest 1857.

Miscellaneous loose papers relating to books for Library, binding, printing, and stationery, 1767 - 1824. Arranged chronologically. Followed by papers on anatomical preparations and Pathological Cabinet or museum, arranged chronologically. Whole lot in two boxes.

Correspondence; reports, bills and receipts relating to Benjamin West painting "Christ Healing the Sick " and to the Picture House. Arranged chronologically, 1801 - 1909, plus undated items. For receipts from exhibition of the painting, see Steward's Cash Books, 1815 - 1844. In one box.

Samuel Coates. Account of monies received for exhibiting West's painting, 1817 - 1818.

Library, Museum, West Painting. Miscellaneous papers, correspondence, printed material, ca. 1870 - 1950, in one box.

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Section I, Series 8. Affiliates, 1786-1978. (Institutions merged with the Pennsylvania Hospital)

State law 50 P.S. 7111 prohibits the use of all patient mental health records.

The Pennsylvania Hospital closes non-mental health patient records for 100 years. Records older than 100 years are open for researchers to view. All non-patient related material is closed for 75 years from its creation. Certain restrictions might still apply on specific records.

Philadelphia Dispensary

Subscription Book, 1786 - 1789, in one volume.

Minutes of Managers, 1786 - 1969, in seven volumes.

Managers. Rough Minutes, 1916 - 1922, in one volume.

Contributors, Minutes, 1856 - 1957, in two volumes.

Treasurer. Accounts, 1876 - 1896, in one volume.

Checkbooks (petty expenses), 1921 - 1922, in two volumes.

Petty Cash Book, 1921 - 1922, in one volume.

Order Book, 1922, in one volume.

Obstetrical Record, 1884 - 1902, 1907 - 1915, in eight volumes.

Copies of Charter, deed, insurance policies, list of contributors, etc., in one volume.

Lists of Managers, etc., 1786 - 1921, in one volume.

Lists of Physicians and Surgeons, 1786 - 1921, in one volume.

Miscellaneous loose papers, including Charter of Incorporation, 1796, in one box.

Miscellaneous papers, ca. 1840 - 1922, in one box.

Preston Retreat

Minutes of Annual Contributors' Meetings, 1836 - 1884, in one volume.

Papers relating to the Retreat: rough minutes of Managers' meetings, correspondence about Preston estate, architects' proposals for building, 1836 - 1840, plus undated items, in one box.

Miscellaneous papers, ca. 1835 - 1948, in two boxes.

Board of Managers. 1836 - 1884, 1910 - 1938, in four volumes.

Board of Managers. Visiting committee reports, 1957 - 1960, in one volume.

Treasurer. Cashbook, 1946 - 1963, in one volume.

Women's Visiting Committee, Minutes, 1886 -1898, 1910 - 1914, in four volumes.

Register of Patients, 1866 - 1880, in two volumes.

Lists of women more than once in Retreat, and of those who have died, ca. 1885, in one volume.

Building Committee. Minutes, 1836 - 1842, in one volume.

Building Committee. Book of Agreements, 1836 - 1839, in one volume.

Building Committee. Order Book, 1837 - 1842, in one volume.

Southern Dispensary

Minutes of the Managers and Contributors, 1903 - 1949, in one volume.

Miscellaneous Papers, ca. 1763 - 1952, in one box.

Philadelphia Lying-In Charity

Joseph Warrington, M.D. Diplomas and certificates. (Joseph Warrington instituted the Lying-in Charity in 1828.) Arranged chronologically.

Joseph Warrington. Memorabilia, 1828 - 1833 (6 items).

Minutes of Board of Managers, 1844 - 1932, in seven volumes, and Minutes, 1932 to present.

Board of Managers. Roll Book 1914 - 1923, in one volume.

Minutes of the Executive Board (1869-1875) and Board of Lady Visitors (1876-1905), in one volume.

Executive Committee. Minutes, 1888 - 1905, in 2 volumes.

House Committee, Minutes, 1905 - 1913, in one volume.

Contributors. Minutes, 1860 - 1975, in one volume.

Subscription Books, 1863 - 1865, in two volumes.

Contribution Book, 1889, with summaries for 1890 and 1891 loosely inserted, in one volume.

Index of Contributors l925 - 1918, in one volume.

Invoice Books, 1890 - 1930, in 15 volumes:

Annual Summaries of reports, 1892 - 1909, in one volume.

Account Book, 1886 - 1890, in one volume.

Treasurer. Accounts, 1898 - 1908, in two volumes.

Account Book, May 1908 - Oct. 1915, in one volume.

Secretary's Cash Book. (Maintenance only), 1902 - 1909, in one volume.

Cash Books, 1892 - 1902, 1909 - 1926, in five volumes.

Register of Medical Students, 1895 - 1916, in one volume.

Physicians' Record Book , ca. 1898 - 1916, in one volume.

Autopsy Records, 1900 - 1907, in one volume.

Medical Staff. Minutes, 1924 - 1929, in one volume. (For later records, see P. H. Medical Staff--Obstetrics & Gynecology. Minutes and correspondence, 1929 - 1950.)

Nurse Training School. Application Book, 1884 - 1913, in one volume.

Nurse Training School. Register of Nurses, 1884 - 1930, in one volume.

Nurse Training School. Record of Pupils, 1919 - 1921, in one volume.

Time Books, 1906 - 1928, in four volumes.

Census of Patients and Employees, 1900 - 1902, 1905 - 1913, 1917 - 1919, 1921 - 1928, in ten volumes.

Patient Charts (Obstetrical), 1891 - 1922, in 117 volumes.

Gynecological Charts, 1893 - 1906, 1908 - 1922, in 18 volumes, wanting vol. 11.

Case Books, Gynecological Dispensary, 1888 - 1926, in six volumes.

Miscellaneous Papers, ca. 1889 - 1929, in five boxes.

Diploma of Miriam Anna Wright, 1897.

Maternity Hospital

Board of Governors and Contributors, Minutes 1822 - 1964, in seven volumes.

Minutes of Monthly Staff Meeting of Maternity Hospital, 1925 - 1929. Includes also signatures of Executive Committee members and Lady Visitors Committee members indicating completion of inspection.

Treasurer. Ledger, 1896- 1923, in one volume.

Treasurer. Ledger. 1897-1913, in one volume.

Treasurer. Account Books 1915-1929, in three volumes.

Contributors. Ledger, 1883-1897, in one volume.

Executive Committee. Monthly Reports, 1885-1924 in one volume. (Additional material filed with Miscellaneous papers.)

Executive Committee. Statistical Reports 1893- 1924, in one volume, (Additional material filed with Miscellaneous papers.)

Nurse Training School. Application Books, 1896 - 1921, in three volumes. Numbered vol. 2-4.

Nurse Training School. Nurses' Register, 1889-1929, in five volumes.

Patients. Register. 1915- 1923, in one volume.

Patient charts. 1926, arranged chronologically, in two boxes.

Patient charts, ca. 1926 - 1929, arranged alphabetically, in five boxes.

Miscellaneous papers 1903 - 1929, in two boxes.

Nurse Charity

Minutes of Board of Managers, Book No. 2, Jan. 24, 1843 - March 3, 1853, in one volume. Name changed to Nurse Society in Oct. 1843.

Humane Society

Minutes, Sept. 7, 1780 - Feb. 27, 1805, in one volume. Prefaced by list of charter members, Sept. 5, 1780. Society re-organized in March 1787, into annual contributors' meetings and monthly Managers' meetings, in place of general meetings of whole Society. After incorporation in 1793, minutes of annual meetings are transferred to separate volume.

Minutes of Managers' monthly meetings, 1805 - Feb. 14, 1827, in one volume. Includes case histories of rescues, resuscitations, treasurer's accounts, financial statements.

Rough Minutes of Managers' monthly meetings, Feb. 12, 1812 - April 9, 1817, in one volume.

Minutes of annual meetings of the Contributors, March 6, 1793 - March 7, 1832, in one volume. Prefaced by copy of act of incorporation, Feb. 13, 1793.

Minutes of Managers' monthly meetings and of annual Contributors' meetings combined, Aug.14, 1850 - Oct. 25, 1856, in one volume. The Humane Society dissolved on Oct. 25. 1856, and its assets were transferred to Pennsylvania Hospital.

Treasurer's Accounts. Feb. 13, 1827 - Oct. 20. 1856, in one volume.

Annual subscription book for 1813. Samuel Bacon, collector.

Miscellaneous loose papers, 1780 - 1856, plus undated material, in one box.

Order Book, 1849 - 1850, in one volume.

Miscellaneous publications of Royal Humane Society (London), in two volumes, 1793 - 1801.

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Section I, Series 9. Miscellany, 1825-1950.

Papers including those related to the engraved views of the Hospital, and reports of other institutions, in one box.

Papers "of historical interest" (primarily early receipts) given to Dr. Arthur V. Meigs by Charles Morton Smith. Items mounted in sheets, then bound in large red leather portfolio.

Meteorological records, 1825 - 1912, in fourteen volumes.

Donation Book, 1913 - 1924. Donations of, towels, gowns, clothes. Yearly records in alphabetical order by donor. Also, Rainfall Records, l757 - 1898, 1898 - 1907, 1907 - 1914, in one package.

Pennsylvania Hospital. Women's Committee. Minutes, 1865 - 1903, 1922 - 1947, in four volumes, and one folder of papers, ca. 1893 - 1947. Originally called the "Lady Visitors," this committee was formed in 1865 to attend primarily to the spiritual needs of the patients. In 1923 its name was changed to the "Women's Committee." In 1947, it merged with the Women's Auxiliary, which had been formed to attend to the patients' material comfort.

Pennsylvania Hospital. Women’s Committee. -- Account Book, 1915 - 1947, in one volume.

Pennsylvania Hospital. Diploma, Exposition Universelle de 1900 Awarded by Le Jury International des Recompenses, Medaille d’Or.

Base Hospital No. 10. Record of service of civilian employees, 1918-1919, in one volume.

Base Hospital, No. 10. Memorabilia, 1917-1918,in one box.

Base Hospital No. 10. Photograph album--Officers, 1917, in one volume.

Elevator Operators' Time Book, 1929 - 1931. --(Edward B. Krumbhaar). Scrapbook, ca. 1917- 1919, in one volume.

James P. Hutchinson. Photograph Albums, 1915 - 1917, in three volumes.

Eva Gerhard Hart. Diary and photograph album.

Base Hospital No. 10, 1917 - 1919, in two volumes.

George W. Norris. War Letters, 1917- 1919, in two volumes; scrapbook, ca. 1901 - 1950, in one volume; and war photos, 1917 - 1919, in one box.

Thomas George Morton. Papers relating to the publication of History of the Pennsylvania Hospital, in one box.

Pennsylvania Hospital. 44th St. Building. Contents of cornerstone, 1836 (6 items and envelope).

Elizabeth W. Hoopes (West-Town, Chester Co.) Poetry Book, ca. 1864 - 1881, in one volume.

Residence Directory (Isaac Collins?), n.d., in one volume.

Disbursements and Finance, ca. 1827 - 1863, in one volume.

Disbursements (personal). Oct. 1, 1773 - Jan. 12 , 1785, in one volume.

Disbursements (personal), 1778 - 1790, in one volume.

Accounts--Debits & Credits, 1822 - 1857, in one volume.

Ledger, 1804 - 1822, in one volume.

Mrs. Battle's photographs, in one folder.

Helen McClelland. Memorabilia, ca. 1930 - 1970, in one box.

Mary Aspril. Memorabilia, ca. 1941, in one box.

Samuel Morris. Memorabilia, 1752 - 1758 (2 items), donated by Mrs. Eleanor Morris.

Richard C. Dale. Certificate of attendance at Pennsylvania Hospital, 1792. Presented by Dr. Richard Dale Hopkinson, 1948.

Samuel B. Smith. M.D. Diploma, University of Pennsylvania, 1807; Philadelphia Medical- Society certificate, 1802; Student of Medicine certificate, 1807.

Benjamin Franklin. Draft of cornerstone of Pennsylvania Hospital, 1755 letter to Charles Moore, London, Feb. 5, 1775.

Portrait of Benjamin Rush. Etching by L.E. Faber, ca. 1898.

Jacob Spicer. Pennsylvania Hospital. Contributor's certificate, 1776.

Certificates of Membership of the Pennsylvania Hospital, arranged alphabetically:

Personnel Book, 1898 - 1905. Record of personnel-- dates of beginning and termination of employment.

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Section I, Series 10. Pennsylvania Hospital Nursing Schools, 1887-1973.

Miscellaneous papers, ca, 1888 - 1940, in one box.

Book of head nurses and graduate nurses, ca. 1887 - 1925, in one volume.

Day Books. ca. 1890 - 1892, 1891 - 1897, in two volumes.

Record of Training School of Pennsylvania Hospital, 1888 - 1895, in one volume.

Student records, 1894 - 1909, in three volumes.

Nurses' Daily Record, 1899 - 1934, in four volumes.

Roll Book, 1913 - 1916 Nurses' day book/Daily Report Book.

Edith L. Palmer. Lecture notes. 1909 - 1912, in three volumes. Taken as a student in the Pennsylvania Hospital Nurse Training School. (Deaccessioned to Center for the Study of the History of Nursing)

Class books. 1915 - 1917, 1919 - 1929, 1931 - 1935, 1947 - 1949, in 21 volumes. (For later records: see Class records, ca. 1950-1961).

Class records, ca. 1922 - 1932 (one-year program), in one box; and 1950 - 1961, in two boxes. (For earlier records, see Class books)

Book of students, 1911- 1914 (this volume missing as of 5/12/95), 1917 - 1918, in two volumes, (Cover titles "Day Book. Nurses," No. ii and No. iv).

Time book for night nurses, 1919 - 1940, in one volume.

Nurses' Time Books, Dept. of Sick and Injured, 1933 - 1951, in five volumes.

Census Books, 1921 - 1933, in two volumes.

Monthly time books, 1923 - 1932, 1933 - 1937, 1954 - 1960, in ten volumes.

Maternity Department (?) Time book, ca. 1929 - 1933, in one volume.

Maternity Department, Nurses' Monthly Time Book, Sept. 1933 - Dec. 1945.

Miscellaneous papers, ca. 1923 - 1954, in one box.

Application book, 1933 - 1947, in one volume.

Reports of Director of Nursing, 1933 - 1940 in one volume. ( Helen McClelland )

School for Men. Papers, ca. 1916 - 1958, in three boxes.

School for Men. Index to graduates, 1917 - 1958, in one volume (Compiled in 1959).

School for Men. Roll Book, 1930 - 1933, in one volume.

School for Men. Account book, ca. 1936 - 1944, in one volume.

School for Men. Register of students, 1940 - 1966, in one volume.

Summary of Class Records, 1916 - 1931, in one volume.

Record of Probationers, 1895 - 1923, in one volume.

Register of Graduates, 1966 - 1973, in one volume.

Male Nurses--Record of Attendants Employed

Pennsylvania Hospital for the Insane, 1890 - 1914, in one volume.

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Section II. Institute of Pennsylvania Hospital Records, 1826-1997 + [n.d.].

State law 50 P.S. 7111 prohibits the use of all patient mental health records.

The Pennsylvania Hospital closes non-mental health patient records for 100 years. Records older than 100 years are open for researchers to view. All non-patient related material is closed for 75 years from its creation. Certain restrictions might still apply on specific records.

Funding Note
The processing of this collection was made possible through a grant from the National Historic Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).

Provenance
The overwhelming majority of this collection is comprised of the physician/ superintendent files, and administrative records of the Institute of the Pennsylvania Hospital and the Institute's School of Nursing and Affiliate Program. When the Institute closed, these records were transferred to the Pennsylvania Hospital Historic Collections. A few of the more personal items were donated by relatives of the physicians to whom the items belonged.

Institutional History
The Pennsylvania Hospital was founded in 1751 by Dr. Thomas Bond and Benjamin Franklin. Chartered by the Colonial Government, the Pennsylvania Hospital has the distinction of being the first hospital in America to care for the sick poor. The original building on Eighth and Pine Streets, completed in 1755, was expanded over the years, as demand for a larger facility grew. Today the Hospital maintains the original building, as well as many others, as part of its campus.

The nation's first hospital was also the first to treat psychological and emotional disorders as conditions that could be cured. From the outset, part of the hospital's mission was to treat mentally challenged patients with more dignity than the custom of the day dictated, though in 1783, that mission became even more clear when Dr. Benjamin Rush (1745-1813) was elected to the medical staff. Referred to as the "Father of American Psychiatry," Rush was one of the first physicians to contend that mental illness could be treated humanely with better living conditions and recreational therapy. This notion was clearly well received, as by the early 19th Century the number of mentally ill patients outnumbered patients with physical ailments. By 1832 the Board of Managers recognized the necessity of opening a separate asylum with the sole purpose of caring for psychiatric patients. The Pennsylvania Hospital purchased a 101-acre farm in West Philadelphia in 1835 from Matthew Arrison, on which the cornerstone for a new facility was laid on July 26, 1836.

On October 12, 1840, the Managers named Dr. Thomas Story Kirkbride (1809-1883), a thirty-one year-old graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Medical School, as the Superintendent of the Pennsylvania Hospital for the Insane, which officially opened its doors to patients on January 1, 1841. At this time, nearly one hundred mentally ill patients were transferred by carriage from the Pennsylvania Hospital at 8th Street to the new asylum, which was beautifully constructed amidst vast, flourishing lawns and gardens. Dr. Kirkbride and his family took up residence in the mansion that was once the home of Paul Busti, a wealthy Philadelphia merchant, who had owned the farm prior to Matthew Arrison.

The reputation of the Hospital and its superintendent grew rapidly, and the institution flourished. Dr. Kirkbride became well-known for his work with the patients, and the so-called "Kirkbride Plan" for the design and creation of mental institutions. The plan, outlined in Kirkbride's 1854 work entitled, On the Construction, Organization and General Arrangements of Hospitals for the Insane, was widely accepted and implemented in institutions throughout the nation. Indeed, Kirkbride also gained fame for being one of the original thirteen founders of the Association of Medical Superintendents of American Institutions for the Insane, which evolved into what is today known as the American Psychiatric Association.

Increased popularity of Kirkbride and the humane treatment methods he espoused led to a significant increase in the institution's patient population. Though additions had been made to the original building to accommodate the growing demand for care, it eventually became clear that another, larger building was needed. On July 7, 1856, the cornerstone for a new building, built with the money from individual contributions, was laid at 49th and Market Streets, five blocks west of the original building. The new structure, which was to house only male patients, was dubbed the Department for Males, while the original building officially became known as the Department for Females.

The Pennsylvania Hospital for the Insane flourished under Kirkbride until his death on December 16, 1883, though for decades after his death, Philadelphia natives colloquially referred to the hospital as "Kirkbride's." Dr. John B. Chapin, the former Superintendent of the Willard State Hospital in New York, assumed the role of Superintendent of the Pennsylvania Hospital for the Insane after Kirkbride's demise. Chapin resigned from his duties in 1911, and was succeeded by Dr. Owen Copp, who initiated a School of Nursing for Men at the Hospital.

Against the custom of the day, Copp appointed Leroy N. Craig as the director of the Men's School, and Craig became the first male superintendent of any male nursing school in the country. The new school was devoted to training male students in general nursing practices, as well as the specialized disciplines of psychiatric and urological nursing. The Pennsylvania Hospital School of Nursing for Men was successful for many years, but in 1965, it was dissolved after having graduated 551 men and training approximately 12,000 affiliates during it's 51-year history. (At this time, the School of Nursing for Women, which operated out of the Pennsylvania Hospital's 8th Street facility was also dissolved, and a cooperative school which accepted both male and female students was initiated. This school existed until 1974, when the nursing school was completely dissolved due to lack of interest in the program.)

The Pennsylvania Hospital for the Insane, which officially became known as the Department of Mental and Nervous Diseases in 1918, was not only a pioneer in nursing education, but also in outpatient care. In 1920, Dr. Copp appointed a young Dr. Edward A. Strecker to head a new outpatient service at 49th Street. The new treatment center was opened to persons in need of psychiatric care, but for whom constant hospital supervision was unnecessary. Outpatient therapy proved popular, and in 1930, all male inpatients were transferred from the 49th Street facility to the 44th Street Building, so the 49th Street property could be used primarily as an outpatient center to treat patients with common neuroses, such as depression, sleeplessness, and low self-esteem. Strecker became a groundbreaker in the field of psychiatry with his approach to these common issues, including alcoholism, which he was one of the first physicians to recognize as a mental illness rather than as a moral failing. It was at this time the 49th Street property was renamed the "Institute."

The entire West Philadelphia entity became known as the Institute of the Pennsylvania Hospital in 1959, when the 44th Street property was closed due to the City of Philadelphia exercising its right of eminent domain. Items from the original building were auctioned off, and the building was demolished to make way for the City's subway project. All patients were moved to the 49th Street property, where a new, five-story "North Building" opened to accommodate the consolidation. Within a decade this building became the site of the area's first inpatient treatment center for adolescent children.

The Institute was a fundamental player in the evolution of psychiatric care. Many of the most eminent psychiatrists of the 19th and 20th Centuries were either superintendents or otherwise affiliated with the institution. Physicians like the aforementioned Drs. Kirkbride, Chapin, Copp, and Strecker, as well as others such as Dr. Kenneth Appel, and Dr. Earl D. Bond, were all instrumental in the effective operation and management of the Institute of the Pennsylvania Hospital. Their contributions to the field of psychiatry cannot be underestimated, nor can the care given to thousands of patients during the Institute's impressive history. Nevertheless, in 1997, The Institute of the Pennsylvania Hospital was forced to close its doors, after years of declining insurance payments and a decreased need for inpatient services had taken its toll on the Hospital. The buildings were sold, and the behavioral health programs returned to their original location at the Pennsylvania Hospital's 8th Street property.

Institute Timeline:

May 11, 1751 - The Pennsylvania Hospital is founded for the care of the sick-poor and the insane.

1783 - Dr. Benjamin Rush (1745-1813), the "Father of American Psychiatry," is elected to the medical staff of the Pennsylvania Hospital, and remains an integral member of the staff until his death in 1813. He is one of the first physicians to maintain that mental illness could be treated humanely with better living conditions and recreational therapy.

1832 - A resolution is passed by the Board of Managers to create a separate asylum for mentally ill patients, who, by that time, outnumbered sick and injured patients.

1835 - The Pennsylvania Hospital purchases a 101-acre farm in West Philadelphia from Matthew Arrison, on which the new facility is to be erected. Prior to being owned by Arrison, the farm had been the property of Paul Busti, an area merchant.

July 26, 1836 - The cornerstone of the Pennsylvania Hospital for the Insane is laid, and the new hospital, designed by architects Isaac Holden and Samuel Sloan, is built at the corner of 44th and Market Streets.

October 12, 1840 - Dr. Thomas Story Kirkbride (1809-1883), a thirty-one year-old graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Medical School, is elected Superintendent of the Pennsylvania Hospital for the Insane.

January 1, 1841 - the Pennsylvania Hospital for the Insane opens its doors. Nearly 100 mentally ill patients are transferred by carriage from the Pennsylvania Hospital's 8th Street location to the new facility, which is beautifully constructed with stone arches and large parlors, and rests amidst flourishing lawns and gardens. Spaciousness is the ideal. Dr. Kirkbride and his family take up residence in the mansion that was once the home of Paul Busti.

October 16, 1844 - Dr. Kirkbride hosts a meeting of thirteen superintendents of psychiatric hospitals, at which they found the Association of Medical Superintendents of American Institutions for the Insane. Over the years, this association will evolve into what is today known as the American Psychiatric Association.

1854 - Dr. Kirkbride writes On the Construction, Organization and General Arrangements of Hospitals for the Insane, which outlines what is now known as the "Kirkbride Plan" for the design of mental institutions. Kirkbride's reputation grows, as does the reputation of the Pennsylvania Hospital for the Insane, and the plan is implemented in many institutions throughout the nation.

July 7, 1856 - Increased popularity of the humane methods espoused by Kirkbride, lead to a significant increase in the institution's patient population. Though additions are added to the original building to accommodate the growing demand for care, another large building becomes. The cornerstone for a new building, funded by individual contributions, is laid five blocks to the west of the original building at 49th and Market Streets.

October 10, 1859 - The new building receives patients for the first time. The original building officially becomes known as the Department for Females, while the new, twin building at 49th Street is dubbed the Department for Males.

December 16, 1883 - Dr. Kirkbride passes away. For many years after his death, native Philadelphians colloquially refer to the hospital as "Kirkbride's."

September 1, 1884 - Dr. John B. Chapin, former Superintendent of the State Hospital of Willard, NY, assumes the role of Superintendent of the Pennsylvania Hospital for the Insane.

1895 - Female attendants serve in the Men's Department for the first time.

1911 - Dr. Chapin resigns as Superintendent and is succeeded by Dr. Owen Copp.

1914 - Copp initiates a School of Nursing for Men at the Pennsylvania Hospital for the Insane. He appoints Leroy N. Craig as the first director of the Men's School. Craig becomes the first male superintendent of a male nursing school in the country. The new school is devoted to training male nurses in general nursing practices, as well as the specialized disciplines of psychiatric and urological nursing.

1918 - The name of the institution is officially changed from the Pennsylvania Hospital for the Insane to the "Department for Mental and Nervous Diseases" of the Pennsylvania Hospital, to reflect a growing interest in the studies of the brain.

1920 - Copp appoints Dr. Edward A. Strecker to head a new outpatient service at 49th Street. The new treatment center is opened to persons in need of psychiatric care, but for whom constant hospital supervision is unnecessary.

1922 - Dr. Earl D. Bond succeeds Dr. Copp as the Psychiatrist-In-Chief of the Department of Mental and Nervous Diseases.

1928 - Two new buildings are added to the Hospital's campus at 48th Street and Haverford Avenue. The new structures boast a power plant, a kitchen, a laundry, etc. With the additions, these potentially hazardous structures are removed from the 49th Street buildings.

1930 - All male in-patients are moved from the 49th Street facility to the 44th Street Building. The 49th Street building is dubbed as the "Institute" for the first time, and opens its doors as an outpatient center to treat patients with common neuroses, such as depression, sleeplessness, and low self-esteem.

1932 - An affiliate program in Psychiatric Nursing is established as part of the Department for Mental and Nervous Diseases' School of Nursing.

1933 - A residency training program in psychiatric medicine is established.

1935 - Dr. Strecker becomes one of the first doctors to recognize alcoholism as a disease, and the Pennsylvania Hospital becomes the first treatment center to hire a recovering alcoholic as an addiction counselor.

1938 - Dr. Bond retires as the Psychiatrist-in-Chief and is replaced by Dr. Lauren H. Smith.

1951 - The Child Study Center is formed.

1959 - The 44th Street property is closed due to the City of Philadelphia exercising its right of eminent domain. Items from the original building are auctioned off, and the building is demolished to make way for the City's subway project. All patients are moved to the 49th Street property, and all departments are onsolidated under the name of the Institute of the Pennsylvania Hospital. The new, five-story "North Building" opens on the 49th Street property to accommodate the consolidation. Within a decade it becomes the site of the area's first inpatient treatment center for adolescent children.

1962 - Dr. Smith is succeeded by Dr. J. Martin Myers as Psychiatrist-in-Chief.

1965 - The Pennsylvania Hospital School of Nursing for Men is dissolved after having graduated 551 men and training approximately 12,000 affiliates during it's 51-year history. (At this time, the School of Nursing for Women, which operates out of the Pennsylvania Hospital's 8th Street facility is also dissolved, and a cooperative school which accepts both male and female students is initiated. This school exists until 1974, when the nursing school is completely dissolved due to lack of interest in the program.)

1981 - Dr. Newell Fischer replaces Dr. Myers and becomes the Institute's Director of Psychiatry. 1982 - Dr. Layton McCurdy becomes the new Psychiatrist-in-Chief

1997 - The Institute of the Pennsylvania Hospital is forced to close its doors, after years of declining insurance payments and a decreased need for inpatient treatment of psychiatric illness. The buildings are sold and the Hospital's behavioral health programs return to their original location at the Pennsylvania Hospital's 8th Street property. The archival records and historical artifacts pertaining to the Pennsylvania Hospital for the Insane (the Institute of the Pennsylvania Hospital) are transferred to the Pennsylvania Hospital Historic Collections.

2004 - The NHPRC issues a grant to organize, preserve and make publicly accessible the Institute of the Pennsylvania Hospital's Archival Collection.

General Overview of the Collection:

The Institute of the Pennsylvania Hospital collection is a very comprehensive record group, which contains general and detailed information on the general operation of the Institute, on the doctors and superintendents who were associated with the facility, and on the School of Nursing founded at the Institute. The collection dates from the early 1800s to 1997, and is comprised of approximately 250 linear feet of material, including paper documents, ledger books, photographs, and artifacts.

This collection should be considered one of the most important collections covering the treatment of psychological disorders and mental illness, as it contains operational information for one of the first modern treatment facilities for such diseases. In addition, it represents an important source of information on early Schools of Nursing - particularly those specializing in the education of male nurses.

The collection has been divided into six series:

Note on Restricted Access:

Not all materials in the collection are publicly accessible or reproducible. The physical condition of an item, copyright issues, donor restrictions, and Federal regulations will determine restrictions on access and reproductions.

According to the Hospital Insurance Portability & Accountability Act (HIPAA), effective April 14th, 2003, Hospital employees are not permitted to provide access to identifying information of any patient - past, present, or future. As a result, access to, or reproductions of, any images in which patients appear, cannot be granted, unless the patients' faces are blurred so as to be unrecognizable.

State law 50 P.S. 7111 prohibits the use of all patient mental health records.

The Pennsylvania Hospital closes non-mental health patient records for 100 years. Records older than 100 years are open for researchers to view. All non-patient related material is closed for 75 years from its creation. Certain restrictions might still apply on specific records.

Preferred Citation:
Institute of the Pennsylvania Hospital Collection. Courtesy of the Pennsylvania Hospital Historic Collections, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Section II, Series I - Administrative Records, 1830s-1997 + [n.d.].

The administrative records of the collection, consisting of approximately 40 linear feet of material, contain information related to the general operation of the Institute from its inception and throughout its history. They include broad information, such as yearly reports about the successes and challenges the institution faced, as well as minutia, including record books detailing employee wages and even meteorological information on the Philadelphia area in the 1840s. Clearly, the scope of this series is quite broad.

The administrative records of the collection are divided into thirteen subseries to facilitate access. These subseries include:

Subseries A: Operational Reports, 1843-1994
(Board of Managers' records and general reports) - Mainly annual reports, and monthly reports handwritten by Thomas Story Kirkbride. This subseries provides the most comprehensive information pertaining to the operation of the Institute.

Subseries B: Managers' Records, 1841-1981
Minutes of Manager's meetings, detailing the monthly operations of the institution, as well as the meeting minutes of specific Board committees.

Subseries C: Construction/ Building Maintenance, 1835-1976 + [n.d.]
Details the efforts and specific details surrounding the growth and evolution of the institution's physical premises. Many of the records document the construction of the North Building.

Subseries D: Financial/ Steward's Records, 1839-1977 + [n.d.]
Specific financial records concerning funding, expenditures, budgets, etc. The Steward's record books include information specific to patient accounts, including names in some instances. These records also offer statistics about activities on the patient wards.

Subseries E: Employee Information/Personnel, 1841-1996 + [n.d.]
Contains both personnel files for medical staff members, and general information pertaining to employee policies and employment regulations.

Subseries F: Patient Care Information, 1836-1979 + [n.d.]
Contains no specific patient information, only general information on the care of patients at the Institute. Includes information about various treatment options that were available to patients, for example, adolescent treatment programs, and alcohol and drug treatment.

Subseries G: Committees and Groups, 1956-1983
Details the activities of many committees and groups which operated within the Pennsylvania Hospital for the Insane.

Subseries H: Medical Library Records, 1946-1996 + [n.d.]
Details the history and general operation of the Hospital's Medical Library, from inventories to correspondence.

Subseries I: Event Coordination, (1959-1976), 1991
Includes information on the coordination of several events sponsored by the Institute, including the Strecker Award Ceremony and Lecture.

Subseries J: Legal Affairs, 1854-1965, Box 114
Consists of information pertaining to legal cases affecting the Institute or the field of psychiatry.

Subseries K: Research, 1939-1978, Box 115
Contains information on research projects conducted at the Institute, or by Institute affiliated staff members.

Subseries L: Institutional Memorabilia, 1836-1983 + [n.d.], Boxes 116-117
Brochures, Mementos, Newsclippings, etc. celebrating the existence of the Institute.

Subseries M: General Information, 1833-1992 + [n.d.]Meteorological records, visitors' registers, general correspondence, and information about other asylums.

Of all the series in the Institute Collection, the Administrative records provide the broadest and most comprehensive information pertaining to the facility and its functional purpose. Though the dates of the series are inclusive from the 1830s to 1997, there is only a smattering of records from the 1910s to the 1950s. It is unclear why this gap exists, or where the materials may exist, if they still do.

Section II, Series 2 - Superintendent / Physician Records, 1826-1995 + [n.d.].

This record group consists of the papers of many prominent doctors who were associated with the Institute, a few of whom also served as the facility's superintendent. Papers associated with many of the physicians represented in this group may also be found in the administrative files. However, unlike items found in the administrative files, papers belonging to the physicians' files often had much to do with the physician's external life outside of his service to the Institute.

In addition, physician files are representative of the work done by a physician throughout his career, whereas the physician associated files found in the administrative records usually concern only his association with the Institute.

The physician files have been broken down into eight subseries by individual doctor, and further subdivided into categories, where necessary, for ease of use.

Subseries A: Thomas Story Kirkbride Material, 1826-1893, 1933-1968 + [n.d.]
The largest and oldest group of papers in the series was generated by the Institute's first superintendent, Thomas Story Kirkbride. With well over 1000 individual items, Kirkbride's papers, which consist mainly of correspondence and expository writings concerning Institute-related business, psychiatric care, and even personal items, are extremely informative in terms of the early history of mental institutions. Kirkbride was very much the heart of the Institute, and remained so for many years after his death. His dedication is revealed throughout this collection. (See also patient correspondence--letters written to and from Dr. Kirkbride concerning specific patients. These letters have not been processed as part of this grant-funded project, as they contain the Personal Health Information (PHI) of psychiatric patients.)

Subseries B: John Chapin Materials, 1870-1918
Following Kirkbride's death in 1883, Dr. John Chapin became the superintendent of the Institute. A small collection of his papers exist, though they are not comprehensive, nor are they overwhelmingly informative.

Subseries C: Edward Strecker Materials, 1915-1960
 Dr. Strecker, a pioneer in the psychological treatment of alcoholism, as well as an advocate for child psychology, was an influential physician at the Institute. His collection of papers consists of a great deal of correspondence that details his work in the field of psychiatry and his years of service for the United States Armed Forces, as well as some of his personal life. In addition to his correspondence, there is a fairly comprehensive collection of his published professional works.

The four subseries below contain the papers of other influential physicians who worked at the Institute during the 20th Century. In each of these subseries, the written works of the men are collected, as is some of their professional correspondence.

Subseries D: Earl Bond Material, 1913-1970 + [n.d.]

Subseries E: Kenneth Appel Material, 1927-1979 + [n.d.]

Subseries F: Francis Braceland Material, 1931, (1937-1941) + [n.d.]

Subseries G: Manuel Pearson Material, 1937-1981 + [n.d.]

Subseries H: Residents' Papers, 1961-1995 + [n.d.], Boxes 192-198
The final subseries consists of thesis papers written by resident physicians in the field of psychiatry who completed their residencies at the Institute. The papers are of varying subject matter, and date between 1961 and 1995.

For more information concerning individual physicians at the Pennsylvania Hospital, see also the physician files of the Department of Sick and Injured.

Section II, Series 3 - The Institute School of Nursing, 1908-1974 + [n.d.]

The School of Nursing at the Institute began as two schools, a school for women and a school for men. Only a few years after it began, the School for Women at the Institute was dissolved, and the School of Nursing for Women at the Department for the Sick and Injured at Eighth Street served as the only women's school affiliated with the Pennsylvania Hospital. The School of Nursing for Men continued to operate at the Pennsylvania Hospital's West Philadelphia campus until the mid-1960s, when the School for Men and the School for Women at 8th Street merged.

The records of the School of Nursing at the Department for Mental and Nervous Diseases consist of three subseries:

Subseries A: Administrative Files, 1917-1974 + [n.d.]
Describes the overall functioning of the School of Nursing for Men, containing information on the school's curriculum and policies, as well as correspondence, reports, meeting minutes, etc. General information about the daily operation of the school can be found in this record group.

Subseries B: Affiliate Program in Psychiatric Nursing--Administrative Records, 1941-1974 + [n.d.]
Contains similar information as the overall school of nursing administrative files, such as curriculum info, policies, correspondence, and reports. This program allowed student nurses from other nursing schools to come to the Institute of the Pennsylvania Hospital and take a several week course in the specific field of psychiatric nursing. The affiliate program began shortly after the School of Nursing itself, and lasted until 1974 - even after the merger of the Men's and Women's Schools. Thousands of men and women completed the affiliate program during the course of its existence.

Subseries C: Student Records, 1908-1974
The largest subseries within Series III - indeed, the largest group of paper documents within the entire Institute Collection, consists of both group records and individual permanent records. Several groups of students have been recognized within this subseries, including male and female graduates of the School at the Institute, non-graduates, affiliate students, affiliate post-graduates, etc. Most of these records offer excellent genealogical information on each of the students. Most of the students' permanent records include detailed reports of the students' behavior, character, and intellect, and many records contain personal correspondence.

Due to the close relationship between the schools at both campuses, additional information on both schools can be found in the Pennsylvania Hospital School of Nursing Collection.

Section II, Series 4. Photographic Collection, c. 1840s-1979 + [n.d.]

Subseries A: General Institute Collection, c. 1850s-1950s
The Institute photograph collection has been separated into five subseries by origin of donor. The most comprehensive group is that which was discovered amidst the Institute's general administrative files. Images in this subseries consist primarily of photographs of buildings and grounds, and employees.

The other subseries within Series IV are all smaller collections, put together and donated by individual physicians and/ or their families. These collections contain images related to their respective donors, as well as Institute related photographs.

Subseries B: Kirkbride Images, 1840s-1885

Subseries C: Strecker Images, c. 1890s-1958

Subseries D: Bond Images, 1896-c. 1920s

Subseries E: Appel Images, 1916-1979 + [n.d.]

See also the Pennsylvania Hospital Historic Image Collection for additional and related images pertaining to the Institute and the Pennsylvania Hospital in general.

Section II, Series 5. Artifacts, c. 1850-1989 + [n.d.]

Series V has been divided into two subseries:

Subseries A: Institutional, 1887-1981, [n.d.]
This subseries contains artifacts that range from a glass syringe to parts of a machine used for conducting Electro-Convulsive Therapy. These objects were in general use in the Institute, and are not associated with a particular physician.

Subseries B: Physicians' Personal Effects, c. 1850-1950s, [n.d.]
This subseries contains items that belonged to physicians at the Institute of Pennsylvania Hospital. Artifacts of Drs. Bond, Chapin, Copp, Kirkbride, and Strecker are represented in this subseries.

See also the Pennsylvania Hospital Artifact Collection for additional and related items.

Section II, Series 6. Patient Records, 1841-1956 (Unprocessed).

Two sets of archives are included here: those opened in 1841 with the opening of the original building of the "Department for the Insane" at 44th Street, and including women patients only after 1859; and those begun afresh for the Male Department when its separate building at 49th Street opened in 1859. Note particularly that the Male Department records began with a new Patient Admission no. 1, listed below as Case no. 1 (Male), and so forth. For a fuller description, refer to the notes for Series 1, Administrative records of the Institute of Pennsylvania Hospital.

Census Books.

These volumes, for the period 1915 - 1956 succeed the Admission and Discharge Registers. They record admissions, discharges, departures and returns from visits, and changes in status (i.e., Voluntary to Committed).

  • Vols. 1-6.

Medical Registers.

These volumes list patients in order of admission and include: case no., name, occupation, date of admission, sex, age marital status, nativity, residence; no. of attack (e.g., 1st, 2nd. etc.), supposed cause, duration before admission, form (diagnosis), age at first attack. For cases prior to 1844, and a few thereafter, the following data are also included: complexion, hair color, eye color; date of discharge, duration of residence, nature of discharge (e.g. cured, eloped, etc.); remarks (whether periodical, hereditary, suicidal, puerperal, etc.); whether readmission.

In 1883, by order of the "Committee on Lunacy", new style Medical Registers (labeled "Admission Books") were begun. These volumes include: date of last previous admission, if any; case no. in order of admission; date of admission; full name; age; color, sex, nativity; civil condition (marital status, number of children living, names and addresses of living brothers and sisters; occupation prior to insanity; previous address; by whose authority sent; dates of medical certificates, and by whom signed (with addresses); bodily condition; name of disorder, if any; form of mental disorder; supposed cause; whether epileptic or congenital imbecile; duration of attack; no. of previous attacks; age at first attack; no. of admission.

For some patients, the following is also included: date of discharge or death; whether restored, improved, not improved or died; remarks.

The records begin with a volume containing information on insane patients admitted to the Hospital at 8th Street before 1841, and transferred to the West Philadelphia building. Data probably copied from the original 8th Street records.

Medical Registers - Male Department.

Registers of Patients Admitted
Include: Case no., date of admission, name, residence, name and residence of security, rate charged, pay or poor, date of discharge or death. Information very complete.

Alphabetical Indexes of Patients.

Chronological within each letter of the alphabet. Includes: year, month, day; name, pay or poor, date of discharge or death. Discharge data not complete. Some overlap between volumes.

Alphabetical Indexes of Patients - Male Department

Summary Registers

Include day of month; day of week; numbers of males and females, and total number in hospital; numbers of pay and poor patients.

Medical Journals.

Weekly entries give number of patients, cumulative numbers of cases and of persons; numbers of patients employed, restrained, secluded, under medical treatment; deaths, injuries and violence to patients; remarks.

Discharge Books.

Volumes through 1883 contain discharge number, name, Register (admissions) number, date of discharge, length of residence in hospital, and remarks on mode of discharge, condition when discharged.

Volumes commenced in 1883, in accordance with the Committee on Lunacy, include date of discharge or death, date of last admission, register (admissions) number; name, age at discharge, color, sex; discharged with result or removed, where to, with result of treatment or assigned cause of death.

Some notes laid into volumes.

Discharge Books - Male Department.

Admissions and Discharges.

Contain daily records of admissions (name, date, class --pay, free, voluntary); running census (numbers admitted, remaining, and discharged); and discharges (name, date, class, whom patient left with, result--cured, died, etc., remarks). Miscellaneous notes and clippings laid in; other notes entered for each month (entertainment, donations, etc.)

Volumes 3a and 4a duplicate volumes 3 and 4.

Succeeded by Census Books.

Admissions and Discharges - Male Department.

Case Books - old Style.

Include cases for the first five years of the West Philadelphia "Department for the Insane" beginning in 1841 (men and women). Case histories in order of admission, identified with patients' initials. First 3 volumes contain alphabetical indexes of patients' names. Early records include history, notes on treatment, some follow-up notes in T.S. Kirkbride's hand. Later entries are less complete. No later volumes have been located.

Case Books - Female Department.

Case histories and follow-up are given in varying detail. Some cases are continued elsewhere in the same or another volume. Vol. 5 mainly contains continuations. Volumes indexed in front by patients' names. Some notes and clippings laid in.

From 1885, records were kept according to the instructions of the Committee on Lunacy. The following information is included: name, residence, date of admission; age, sex, nativity, marital status, occupation, religion, education; habits, insane relations, family history (other diseases, consanguinity); number, date and duration of previous attacks; number of previous admissions, admissions to other hospitals; when present attack commenced, supposed cause; restraint or seclusion; disease increasing, decreasing, or stationary; patient excitable, dirty, destructive, suicidal, homicidal; Also, general appearance (temperament, flesh, countenance); eyes (color, pupils, action as to light, etc.); physical examination (heart, lungs, abdominal viscera, pulse, tongue, temperature, skin, urine; speech, writing, condition of bowels and digestive functions); accompanying bodily disorders, bruises, etc.; diagnosis, ward number; persons brought by, admitted at request of, medical certificates of, correspond with, telegraph to;

Also, previous medical history: first change in physical condition; loss of sleep, appetite, etc.; changes in medical condition (depression, excitement, delusions, hallucinations, illusions, changes in temper, irritability, etc.; history of any suicidal or homicidal tendencies or attempts; convulsions, apoplectic seizures, symptoms of disease of brain or spinal cord; source of information.

Beginning ca. 1907, the following data are added: color; residence for past year; names of parents if living; names of husband or wife, children; names and residences of brothers and sisters; names of next of kin (if other); names and addresses of all medical attendants (last 2 years).

Beginning ca. 1911, gynecological exams are also included. Later cases also give more detailed histories (e.g. childhood).

Vol. 17 (n.s.) Continued Casebook contains the names of patients in the Department for Women, some of whom were admitted to the Pennsylvania Hospital prior to 1884-85, and whose names appear only in the "General Register" and not in any case book; as well as the continuations of other cases.

Vol. 18 (n.s.), Index of Patients 1900-1946 is arranged roughly alphabetically; and chronologically by date of admission within each letter of the alphabet. Contains date of admission, name, whether voluntary, committed, or temporary commitment; pay or free; date of discharge; some deaths noted.

Vols. 19-2O (n.s.) list patients according to location in hospital (North Side, South Side, Villa) in roughly alphabetical order within these categories. Include name, case book volume and page (or "folder"); and sometimes case number.

Case Books - Male Department.

Vols. 1-5 contain case histories and follow-up between 1874 and 1885 in varying degrees of detail. Patients' names are listed in fronts of volumes in rough chronological order of admission. Binders' titles vary.

Vol. 6 contains very brief case histories, probably copied in 1884 from earlier records. Many entries are continuations from earlier case books. Alphabetical index to patients, Nov. 19, 1859 - March 5, 1881, in front of volume.

New Style Vols. 1-18 use the same format as those for the Female Department . See above for details. Includes 141 cases admitted prior to 1885 who were still resident in the hospital at that time. Indexed by patients' names. Some clippings and notes laid in.

N.S, Vol. 19 contains an alphabetical roster of patients included in Case Books N.S. Vols. 1-18. and some later ones filed under the new system in 1912. Gives register number, name, case book volume and page.

Pharmacy Books.

Contain daily entries, probably a complete record of medications dispensed for the period covered. For each date, gives patients' names, medication and dosage. Notes on medicines, etc., laid in. Vols. 4-6 have new format: organized by patient, with chronological entries for each, indexed.

Address Books.

Arranged alphabetically by patients' names. Give names and addresses of relatives, friends, and/or physician. Entries generally undated. For some patients, case numbers and dates of admission given. Also, notes about correspondence, clothing, etc.; addresses for workmen, suppliers, steady correspondents.

Address Books - Male Department.

Admission Papers.

Miscellaneous Patient Records.

Weight Books are arranged in rough alphabetical order; weekly record of patients' weights. Information incomplete.

Arranged alphabetically, List personal expenses (e.g., newspapers, clothing, sweets, damaged bedding) chronologically for each patient.

Records average per capita daily consumption of various foodstuffs for the Male and Female "Insane Departments" and the Pennsylvania Hospital at 8th Street with averages for the four-year period. Also comparative figures for Bloomingdale Asylum (1843) Harrisburg (1868, 1874), Dixmont (n.d.), St. Luke's (n.d.), and McLean Asylum (1872). Also, victualling of British and American soldiers and sailors.

Section III. Photographs And Visual Materials, ca. 1749- 1997

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