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In colonial New York, only a small number of almshouse infirmaries existed to care for the sick, while the mentally ill were usually imprisoned or placed in poorhouses. It was not until the early to mid-19th century, when the New York City area's dependent and poor population increased dramatically, that hospitals and other health services organizations, such as homeopaths and maternity wards, readily began to emerge. In Brooklyn specifically, the earliest hospitals included the Kings County Hospital, which grew out of an almshouse infirmary in 1831, and the Brooklyn City Hospital, which was incorporated in 1845. One of Brooklyn's first mental institutions was also established in Flatbush in 1845.

Most health services organizations that were established during this period were affiliated with charitable organizations, religious denominations, or ethnic groups, and had meager resources with which to care for patients. Hospitals, for instance, provided shelter, meals, and only minimal medical care, usually administered by poorly trained staff in unsanitary conditions, while mental health institutions suffered from extreme overcrowding. Because of the social stigma attached to such institutions, middle and upper class citizens usually received medical care in the privacy of their homes.

Popular attitudes toward public health institutions began to change in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Dramatic advances in conventional medical science, aided by the professionalization of nursing, began to greatly improve the quality of care offered by hospitals and other infirmaries. As affluent citizens were urged by their physicians to use the ever-improving medical facilities, the number of hospitals in New York City began to rise. In 1908, there were 63 general hospitals in New York, and by 1930 there were 125.

Likewise, the emergence of the mental hygiene movement also spurred a dramatic increase in the quality of care offered to New York's mentally ill, who were admitted to the Manhattan Psychiatric Center, the world's largest mental hospital, or were transferred to improved psychiatric wards at hospitals throughout New York State. By the 1930s, 25,000 New York City residents resided in state mental institutions. Homeopathic practice, too, had substained a substantial following between 1860 and 1900, with over 100 homeopathic institutions operating in the city at the turn of the 20th century.

Congruous to the improvement of the city's public health facilities in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was the increase in public awareness of social issues relevant to public health, such as sanitation, preventive practices, and temperance. Education on these issues was facilitated by a growing number of advocate groups and charities established by the city's affluent citizenry and religious denominations.

By the early 20th century, the widescale professionalization of medical practice in New York City had firmly taken root, though several significant alterations would continue to be made to the city's public health system throughout the 20th century.

Sources: Cordasco, Francesco. "Homeopathy," in The Encyclopedia of New York City, ed. Kenneth T. Jackson (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press; New York: New York Historical Society, c1995), 554-555. Opdycke, Sandra. "Mental Health," in The Encyclopedia of New York City, ed. Kenneth T. Jackson (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press; New York: New York Historical Society, c1995), 749-750. Opdycke, Sandra, and David Rosner. "Hospitals," in The Encyclopedia of New York City, ed. Kenneth T. Jackson (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press; New York: New York Historical Society, c1995), 560-563.

From the guide to the Brooklyn hospitals and health services organizations collection, Bulk, 1861-1939, 1829-1998, (Brooklyn Historical Society)

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
creatorOf Brooklyn hospitals and health services organizations collection, Bulk, 1861-1939, 1829-1998 Center for Brooklyn History (2020-)
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Associated Alumnae of Brooklyn Training Schools for Nurses (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.). corporateBody
associatedWith Bedford Dispensary and Hospital (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.). corporateBody
associatedWith Bedford Dispensary Association (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.). corporateBody
associatedWith Bedford Dispensary (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.). corporateBody
associatedWith Bethany Deaconess Hospital Society. corporateBody
associatedWith Brookdale Hospital Medical Center (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.). corporateBody
associatedWith Brooklyn Association for Mental Health (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.). corporateBody
associatedWith Brooklyn Bureau of Charities. Committee on Prevention of Tuberculosis. corporateBody
associatedWith Brooklyn Central Dispensary (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.). corporateBody
associatedWith Brooklyn City Dispensary. Social Service Committee. corporateBody
associatedWith Brooklyn Diet Dispensary. corporateBody
associatedWith Brooklyn Eastern District Homeopathic Dispensary (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.). corporateBody
associatedWith Brooklyn Eclectic Dispensary (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.). corporateBody
associatedWith Brooklyn Home for Blind, Crippled, and Defective Children (Port Jefferson, N.Y.). corporateBody
associatedWith Brooklyn Homeopathic Dispensary (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.). corporateBody
associatedWith Brooklyn Homeopathic Hospital. corporateBody
associatedWith Brooklyn Homeopathic Hospital and Training School for Nurses. corporateBody
associatedWith Brooklyn Homeopathic Lying-In Asylum (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.). corporateBody
associatedWith Brooklyn Homeopathic Maternity (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.). corporateBody
associatedWith Brooklyn Maternity (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.). corporateBody
associatedWith Brooklyn State Hospital. corporateBody
associatedWith Brooklyn State Hospital. Board of Visitors. corporateBody
associatedWith Brooklyn Temperance Society. corporateBody
associatedWith Brooklyn Temperance Society. Board of Managers. corporateBody
associatedWith Brooklyn Tuberculosis and Health Association. corporateBody
associatedWith Brooklyn Tuberculosis and Lung Association. corporateBody
associatedWith Brooklyn Tuberculosis and Respiratory Disease Association (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.). corporateBody
associatedWith Bushwick Hospital (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.). corporateBody
associatedWith Central Homeopathic Dispensary (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.). corporateBody
associatedWith Central Throat Hospital and Polyclinic Dispensary (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.). corporateBody
associatedWith Downstate Medical Center (N.Y.). corporateBody
associatedWith Downstate Medical Center (N.Y.). Alumni Association. corporateBody
associatedWith Faith Home for Incurables (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.). corporateBody
associatedWith Gates Avenue Homeopathic Dispensary. corporateBody
associatedWith German Hospital Society (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.). corporateBody
associatedWith Homeopathic Medical Society of Kings County. corporateBody
associatedWith Hospital Saturday and Sunday Association of the City of Brooklyn. corporateBody
associatedWith House of St. Giles the Cripple. corporateBody
associatedWith Inebriates' Home for Kings County. corporateBody
associatedWith Jewish Hospital of Brooklyn. corporateBody
associatedWith Kings County Lunatic Asylum (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.). corporateBody
associatedWith Kings County Pharmaceutical Society. corporateBody
associatedWith Long Island State Hospital. corporateBody
associatedWith Long Island Throat and Lung Hospital and People's Dispensary Association (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.). corporateBody
associatedWith Lutheran Hospital Association of the City of New York and Vicinity (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.). corporateBody
associatedWith Maimonides Hospital of Brooklyn. corporateBody
associatedWith Memorial Hospital for Women and Children (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.). corporateBody
associatedWith Memorial Hospital for Women and Children (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.). Memorial Dispensary. corporateBody
associatedWith Memorial Hospital for Women and Children (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.). Memorial Training School for Nurses. corporateBody
associatedWith New York State School for Nurses (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.). corporateBody
associatedWith New York State School for Training Nurses (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.). corporateBody
associatedWith People's Medical and Surgical Dispensary (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.). corporateBody
associatedWith Prospect Heights Hospital and Brooklyn Maternity (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.). corporateBody
associatedWith Prospect Heights Hospital (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.). School of Nursing. Alumnae Association. corporateBody
associatedWith Salvation Army. Brooklyn Nursery and Infants' Hospital. corporateBody
associatedWith Samaritan Hospital of Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.). corporateBody
associatedWith Sons of Temperance of North America. Grand Division of Eastern New York. corporateBody
associatedWith St. Catherine's Hospital (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.). corporateBody
associatedWith St. Charles Hospital (Port Jefferson, N.Y.). corporateBody
associatedWith St. Christopher's Hospital for Babies. corporateBody
associatedWith St. Martha's Sanitarium and Dispensary (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.). corporateBody
associatedWith St. Mary's General Hospital (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.). corporateBody
associatedWith St. Mary's Hospital (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.). corporateBody
associatedWith St. Peter's Hospital (Cobble Hill, New York, N.Y.). corporateBody
associatedWith Swedish Hospital (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.). corporateBody
associatedWith Triboro Hospital (Queens, New York, N.Y.). corporateBody
associatedWith United States. Army. Base Hospital No. 37. corporateBody
associatedWith Visiting Nurse Association of Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.). corporateBody
associatedWith Woman's Temperance Society of Brooklyn, N.Y.. corporateBody
associatedWith Women's Health Protective Association of Brooklyn (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.). corporateBody
Place Name Admin Code Country
Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
Subject
Alcoholics
Occupation
Activity

Corporate Body

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