Childbirth In 19th-Century America:
The Role Of Charity Hospital: Lecture On Roosevelt Island
Tuesday, April 12, 2016
at 6:30 pm
(Roosevelt Island, NY, March 2016) – For centuries, childbirth was a dangerous experience, for both women and their babies. In the late 19th century, midwives, nurses and doctors at Charity Hospital, which operated on Roosevelt Island until 1957, were recognized as leaders in making childbirth a safe experience. Jane Brickman, Professor of History at the United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, will describe some of their practices in a lecture at the New York Public Library Branch on Roosevelt Island, on Tuesday, April 12, 2016 at 6:30 p.m.
Charity Hospital’s maternity patients were usually single women who were foreign born. They did not have family members at home to help deliver their babies. Henry Jacques Garrigues began experimenting with antisepsis techniques and in the mid-1880s, he reduced the maternal mortality rate at Charity Hospital dramatically. By the early 1890s, it was safer to deliver in Charity Hospital than at home These pathfinding obstetric reforms were later incorporated into hospital practices elsewhere.
Learn about this little-known institution in Brickman’s lecture, sponsored by the Roosevelt Island Historical Society, and supported by Amalgamated Bank.
The event is FREE and open to the public. It is the last in a series of spring lectures sponsored by the Roosevelt Island Historical Society.
DIRECTIONS: Take the Tram at 59th Street and Second Avenue or the F train to Roosevelt Island. Take the red bus (no charge) or walk eight minutes north to 524 Main Street.
The Roosevelt Island Historical Society promotes awareness of our Island’s unique story and pursues preservation of its landmarks and artifacts. For more information, please visit www.rihs.us.
