Boston Lying-in Hospital (BLI) was the earliest incarnation of what is known today as the Brigham and Women's Hospital. Boston Lying-in Hospital provided maternity care for indigent women at 718 Washington Street in Boston, Massachusetts and was the first institution of its kind in New England. By 1853, BLI had outgrown its building and moved to Springfield and Worcester Streets. The hospital was closed in 1856 and the property sold in 1857. The hospital reopened in 1873 at 24 McLean Street. In 1923, BLI relocated once more to 221 Longwood Avenue across the street from the Harvard Medical School quadrangle. The Boston Lying-in Hospital's obstetrics training program and the Free Hospital for Women's gynecology training program, informally associated since 1922, were formally united in 1951. In 1966, the Boston Lying-in Hospital merged with the Free Hospital for Women in cooperation with Harvard Medical School, to form the Boston Hospital for Women (BHW). In 1975, BHW merged with the Peter Bent Brigham and the Robert B. Brigham Hospitals forming the Affiliated Hospitals Center. In 1980, the Affiliated Hospitals Center became known as the Brigham and Women's Hospital, a teaching affiliate of the Harvard Medical School.
Many advances in the practice of obstetrics in the United States were pioneered by staff at the Boston Lying-in Hospital, including the use of anesthesia for labor pain, using rubber gloves and washing hands to prevent infection, outpatient services, and a nurse training school. The hospital also established pre-natal care clinics and preventative medicine for newborns.
From the description of Records, 1855-1983 (Bulk 1921-1966). (Harvard University). WorldCat record id: 231054443
