Community hospital Tufts Medical Center is celebrating its 225th anniversary this year. Founded in 1796, Tufts has been a cornerstone of public healthcare for local, lower income families since its conception. In a time before what we know as “organized medicine”, during which healthcare was only readily available to wealthier families through private doctors, Tufts, still known as the Boston Dispensary at the time, was formed to make healthcare more accessible by providing medicine and supplies to doctors making housecalls. The Dispensary was the first healthcare establishment founded in Boston, and the third overall in the United States.
The model from which the Boston Dispensary, named for the pharmacy on what is now Washington Street, was that of the London Dispensary, which was opened in London, England, April of 1698. Not yet a hospital, the Boston Dispensary was a supplier of medicine and medical supplies that was funded entirely by donors, one of which being the famed Paul Revere of the Revolutionary War. Revere, along with other wealthier Bostonians, would contribute money toward a voucher system that would provide free supplies to doctors. The voucher system remained in effect until the 1850s, with each being worth one year of free healthcare to patients. “[Tufts Medical Center] is a community hospital,” explained Tufts Historian Dan Bird. “It never really had the big money, the big buildings, it was always just getting by, [relying on] the community to support it.”
Eventually, enough money was raised for the Dispensary to purchase a townhouse to form something closer to a proper hospital. The townhouse was used until 1883, when the brick building that is still in use today was completed. Eventually, the Boston Dispensary evolved into its next stage by forming an alliance with Tufts University, providing space for medical students to study and practice. The two institutions grew together, becoming the New England Medical Center, and eventually, Tufts Medical Center.
Before the hospital we know today reached its final phase, there was the creation of the Floating Hospital in 1894. The Floating Hospital for Children was a medical boat set aside for mothers and their ailing children, under the assumption that the sea air was beneficial to the babies’ health. Though it seems funny now, the effort proved itself efficacious, as infants with similar illnesses were isolated in an environment where they could be studied, leading to the development of better treatments for childhood diseases. Soon, doctors from across the country traveled to be aboard the Floating Hospital, creating a boom in pediatric medical practice. Even the mothers on board were able to be trained in basic medical care for children. The boat lasted until a fire broke out in 1927, and a permanent pediatric facility was built on site at Tufts Medical Center.
Today, Tufts Medical Center is still located in Boston’s South End, serving both children and adults. It has satellite locations in Quincy, Chelmsford, Norfolk, Lowell and other towns throughout Massachusetts. It is currently ranked as the sixth best hospital in the state by US News.
