HRH Prince Andrew visits
the Massachusetts General Hospital

BOSTON – July 23, 1998 – His Royal Highness Prince Andrew, Duke of York, today visited the Massachusetts General Hospital, where he met with pediatric cancer patients, tested some of the most innovative and promising medical technologies and witnessed a teleneurology consultation between the MGH and North Shore Medical Center.

The Duke of York’s MGH tour was one stop on his three-day visit to Boston during which he is helping to mark the 200^th anniversary of the USS Constitution.

At the MGH, the Duke of York, the second son of Queen Elizabeth II, talked with a group of children who are battling cancer. The patients presented Prince Andrew with a T-shirt declaring him an official member of the "MGH 1998 Marathon Team." The group had been part of an effort last April in which their family members and several MGH staff members ran the Boston Marathon to benefit the MGH Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Service.

The Duke of York also visited with other young, eager and curious cancer patients, who had gathered in the lobby of the MGH Cancer Center to see a member of the British Royal Family. One patient remarked that he was very excited about the chance to meet "a real live prince and not just a man in a costume."

With his strong interest in medical technology, The Duke of York had an opportunity to try out several state-of-the-art devices that have made diagnosis and treatment of injury and disease less invasive. He looked at a confocal microscope, which offers a view into the various layers of skin without the need for an incision, and saw an optical coherence tomography device, which provides a vivid picture of blood flowing through veins. He also was shown how a special laser is used to treat the most complex burns with incredible precision and limited blood loss.

As part of his hospital tour, The Duke of York witnessed a telemedicine demonstration between neurologists at the MGH and the North Shore Medical Center in Salem, Mass. During the consultation, physicians at the MGH assessed a stroke patient’s condition, viewed radiology films and discussed the case with their long-distance colleagues.

The Duke of York’s visit began in the hospital’s Ether Dome, where in 1846, Dr. William Morton first demonstrated the use of ether as an anesthetic during surgery. The prince saw the operating table that was used in the historic procedure and a replica of the original ether inhaler. A life-sized mannequin of Dr. Morton greeted The Duke of York in the operating theatre.

The 1½-hour tour was led by James J. Mongan, MD, president of the MGH, and W. Gerald Austen, MD, chairman and CEO of the Massachusetts General Physicians Organization.

Founded in 1811, the MGH is the third oldest hospital in the nation. Each year the 850-bed facility admits more than 35,000 patients and records more than 1 million outpatient visits. The MGH conducts the country’s largest hospital-based research program, with a 1997 budget of more than $210 million. It is the oldest and largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School and the largest nongovernment employer in Boston.

Contact: Georgia Peirce in the MGH Public Affairs Office

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