January 14, 2000

After several attempts at fund- raising campaigns, enough money was raised to erect what is now known as the Bulfinch Building, which still stands as a tribute to more than 175 years of medical history. The first patient was brought to the MGH Sept. 3, 1821. By that first year's end, 122 patients had been admitted.

Since then, the physicians, nurses and support staff of the MGH have toiled to bring comfort to those who have come through the hospital's doors. And while tending to the ill and the injured, medical pioneers at the MGH have set the standard for the care of many types of diseases and ailments. These efforts have not been lost on the rest of the world. The MGH has achieved a reputation for leading the way in providing exceptional care to patients.

It is here that such discoveries have been made to ease pain, cure illness and prevent disease: the first use of ether as an anesthetic; the first use of X-ray images in the United States; proton beam therapy to treat tumors; the first successful reattachment of a severed limb; the first long-term storage of human blood; the creation of artificial skin to treat burn victims; and discovering genes responsible for Huntington's, Parkinson's and Lou Gehrig's diseases.

This hospital was born at a time when smallpox, malaria and typhoid plagued a nation in its youth. While medicine has effectively tackled these problems, today cancer and AIDS continue to baffle the best scientific minds. Inspired by the quest for answers, MGHers continue to display the qualities of innovation, courage, fortitude and compassion that are needed perhaps now more than ever.

With clear vision, warm hearts and professional skills, those who work at this remarkable hospital collectively pave the way to finding and delivering the best care and treatment. Fully engaged, the men and women of the MGH continue to build upon an important legacy — providing the outstanding patient care that has become the hallmark of this institution.