Henry Ford Hospital, The First 75 Years by Patricia Painter
The rich history of Henry Ford Hospital, from the early days when the hospital had 10 physicians and a capacity of 48 patients to its evolution as the flagship institution for a nationally recognized health system, has been captured in a book for the first time.
"Henry Ford Hospital, The First 75 Years" is the story of what is generally regarded as automobile pioneer Henry Ford's first and most important philanthropic venture.
The 238-page book follows a historical journey from the 1900s when Ford assumed control and completed construction of a major hospital at West Grand Boulevard and Hamilton Avenue to the 1990s when the hospital evolved into a leading health care system in southeastern Michigan.
Painter covers many notable events along the way, including World Wars I and II, the hospital doctors and nurses who served in military forces, Ford's death in 1947, the Detroit riots in 1967, construction of the first medical centers in Dearborn and West Bloomfield, and the many medical advances and treatments the hospital pioneered that led to the leading-edge reputation it enjoys.
"The book describes the traditions that brought us to where we are now," said Painter, who began working on the project in 1992.
Painter researched Henry Ford Health System history by interviewing hundreds of past and current employees and reviewing annual reports, surgical logs, letters, research papers and memoirs.
The book, featuring more than 120 photographs, is dedicated to the late Conrad Lam, M.D., a Henry Ford surgeon who had preserved many of the archives materials, and to the more than 17,000 current System employees.
"Henry Ford Hospital is a great institution and needed to have a written history," said Edward Quinn, M.D., chairman emeritus of Infectious Diseases and the initiator of the book idea during preparations for the hospital's 75th anniversary in 1990.
Melanie Bazil Conrad R. Lam Archives A Division of the Sladen Library & Center for Health Information Resources One Ford Place 5H Detroit, Michigan 48202 (313) 874-6948 (313) 874-5442 FAX
The rich history of Henry Ford Hospital, from the early days when the hospital had 10 physicians and a capacity of 48 patients to its evolution as the flagship institution for a nationally recognized health system, has been captured in a book for the first time.
