Children's Hospital of San Francisco

Children's Hospital of San Francisco was established in 1875 by Dr. Charlotte Blake Brown, Dr. Sara E. Brown, and Dr. Martha E. Bucknell. It began operations at 520 Taylor Street, as the Pacific Dispensary for Women and Children. In 1880, the hospital opened a Training School for Nurses, the first such school west of the Rockies. In 1885, it was reincorporated as the Hospital for Children and Training School for Nurses.

From the description of Children's Hospital of San Francisco records, 1875-1988. (University of California, Berkeley). WorldCat record id: 40479186

Corporate History

In 1875, Dr. Charlotte Blake Brown and Dr. Martha E. Bucknell, along with 10 other San Francisco women, founded the Pacific Dispensary for Women and Children. The objectives of the non-profit organization were to provide women with competent medical aid by female physicians, to further the advancement of women in medical practice, to educate nurses, and to provide medical and surgical aid to children. The early years of the dispensary were made difficult by financial hardship, by a continuous demand to provide treatment to a growing number of patients, and by a widespread prejudice among the local medical profession against women physicians. Despite the many challenges facing their organization, the early founders of the dispensary persevered and were able to realize several groundbreaking achievements in the practice of medicine on the West Coast.

In 1880, the dispensary opened its Training School for Nurses - the first such school west of the Rocky Mountains. In 1885 the dispensary was reincorporated as The Hospital for Children and Training School for Nurses. From its first rooms at 520 Taylor Street, the organization relocated five times before moving into its permanent location on California Street in 1887. During the devastating San Francisco earthquake and fire of 1906, the main structure of the hospital was damaged beyond repair. The New Main Building, from which the present-day complex has expanded, was completed in 1911.

In 1915, the hospital established an affiliation with the University of California for the purpose of teaching medical students. By the 1930s, the hospital was one of the leading centers in the nation for the treatment of infantile paralysis. This effort was aided by the installation of both the Drinker Respirator (popularly known as the "iron lung") - the first to be installed in the western U.S. - and the Hubbard Tank - the first facility to be designed for the underwater treatment of paralysis and other deformities. It was also during this period that the hospital admitted its first adult male patients - restricted to those suffering from polio. During the major polio outbreak of the mid-1940s, the hospital treated approximately ten percent of California's cases.

In 1955, all restrictions on the admission of adult male patients were removed. In 1959, two years after the closure of the Training School for Nurses, the corporation changed its name to Children's Hospital of San Francisco. In 1991, after decades of modernization and expansion, the hospital merged with Pacific Presbyterian Medical Center to form the non-profit California Pacific Medial Center.

[Sources: The Story of Children's Hospital,San Francisco : Children's Hospital of San Francisco,1973?; A Century of Service: Children's Hospital of San Francisco,San Francisco : Children's Hospital of San Francisco,1976.]

From the guide to the Children's Hospital of San Francisco Photograph Collection [graphic], 1904-1965, (The Bancroft Library)

Corporate History

Children's Hospital of San Francisco was established in 1875 by three physicians: Dr. Charlotte Blake Brown, Dr. Sara E. Brown, and Dr. Martha E. Bucknell. It began operations at 520 Taylor Street, as the Pacific Dispensary for Women and Children. In 1880, the hospital opened a Training School for Nurses, the first such school west of the Rockies. In 1885, it was reincorporated as the Hospital for Children and Training School for Nurses; its purpose was to care for women and children and to further the advancement of women in medicine, and the education and training of nurses. In its first one hundred years, Children's Hospital grew to a 362-bed, voluntary teaching and research hospital. At the time of its centennial celebration in 1975, Children's Hospital was one of only three independent, non-profit, general teaching hospitals in the state of California.

From the guide to the Children's Hospital of San Francisco Records, 1875-1988, (The Bancroft Library)