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Reflections on a millennium
The arrival of the year 2000 offers an opportunity to reflect on the past, evaluate the present and look to the future. In health care, so much progress has been made — mostly in the last two centuries. The Massachusetts General Hospital has been at the forefront of much of this progress.
January 14, 2000
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Health care a thousand years ago, at the beginning of the last millennium,
even at its best, was a mixture of equal parts torture and superstition. It was not until
1821 — well into the final quarter of
the millennium — that MGH opened its
doors. It came on the scene at a time in history when change was about to surge forward at
an unprecedented velocity. From its inception, the hospital has played an important role
on the noble stage of human progress. That role could not have been possible without the unflagging efforts of thousands of unsung heroes and heroines, working day by day, step by step, fiercely dedicated to the quest for knowledge and the relief of human suffering. This special issue of Hotline is dedicated to those individuals, both past and present, who have contributed so much to the furthering of the MGH mission — to provide the highest quality care while advancing research and educating future leaders in the health care profession. |
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