Bellevue: Three Centuries of Medicine and Mayhem at America's Most Storied Hospital

Written by David Oshinsky

Narrated by Fred Sanders

From a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian comes a riveting history of New York's iconic public hospital that charts the turbulent rise of American medicine.

Bellevue Hospital, on New York City's East Side, occupies a colorful and horrifying place in the public imagination: a den of mangled crime victims, vicious psychopaths, assorted derelicts, lunatics, and exotic-disease sufferers. In its two and a half centuries of service, there was hardly an epidemic or social catastrophe—or groundbreaking scientific advance—that did not touch Bellevue.
     David Oshinsky, whose last book, Polio: An American Story, was awarded a Pulitzer Prize, chronicles the history of America's oldest hospital and in so doing also charts the rise of New York to the nation's preeminent city, the path of American medicine from butchery and quackery to a professional and scientific endeavor, and the growth of a civic institution. From its origins in 1738 as an almshouse and pesthouse, Bellevue today is a revered public hospital bringing first-class care to anyone in need. With its diverse, ailing, and unprotesting patient population, the hospital was a natural laboratory for the nation's first clinical research. It treated tens of thousands of Civil War soldiers, launched the first civilian ambulance corps and the first nursing school for women, pioneered medical photography and psychiatric treatment, and spurred New York City to establish the country's first official Board of Health.
     As medical technology advanced, "voluntary" hospitals began to seek out patients willing to pay for their care. For charity cases, it was left to Bellevue to fill the void. The latter decades of the twentieth century brought rampant crime, drug addiction, and homelessness to the nation's struggling cities—problems that called a public hospital's very survival into question. It took the AIDS crisis to cement Bellevue's enduring place as New York's ultimate safety net, the iconic hospital of last resort. Lively, page-turning, fascinating, Bellevue is essential American history.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
• Release date: Nov 15, 2016
• ISBN: 9780735285194

Reviews for Bellevue

[prudencegoodwife · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Well researched. A revealing look at one of the most well-known hospitals in the United States.

[labfs39 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Mention the word "Bellevue" and most Americans think of a derelict, frightening mental asylum, made notorious by Nellie Bly's exposé in 1887. In truth, Bellevue Hospital's history is long and often revolutionary. In this history, David Oshinsky weaves together the history of a hospital, a city, and medicine itself.

Bellevue Hospital began as an almshouse infirmary in the 1790s. From the very beginning, it never turned away patients, no matter their ability to pay, their religion, or ethnicity (a very unusual stance for the time). Soon it became a dumping ground where other hospitals sent their incurables so as to maintain high cure rates. Whenever epidemics swept through NYC, Bellevue took the brunt of it. Because of the large number of immigrants passing through its doors, Bellevue treated a wide variety of disease and illness, and soon doctors were eager to do a stint at Bellevue in order to gain experience. As apprenticeship gave way to medical schools, Bellevue teamed up with New York University, Columbia, and Cornell to become a premier teaching hospital. Despite its reputation as the hospital for the poor, it's emergency and trauma centers became first-class and if celebrities or visiting dignitaries had a medical emergency, they often chose to go to Bellevue.

Bellevue was often on the cutting edge of medical research and practice as well. The first American civilian ambulance service began here, medical photography was developed, and in 1956 two of its physicians won the Nobel Prize for their groundbreaking work in cardiac catherization. The first doctor to reach Lincoln in Ford's theatre was a Bellevue physician as was the doctor in charge of President Garfield's gunshot wound (unfortunately that doctor was not a subscriber to germ theory and probably unwittingly abetted his death). In the 1980s, Bellevue was at the forefront of the AIDS epidemic, both in terms of research and treatment. Although there was never enough funding for a hospital of its size and mandate to treat the indigent, Bellevue achieved remarkable things.

Oshinsky doesn't shy away from the dark side of Bellevue either, such as the murder in 1989 of a pregnant doctor in her office by a squatter, or the use of electric shock therapy on children, but he does put these events into perspective.

I enjoyed reading Bellevue and learned a lot about the history of NYC and of American medicine, as well as of this storied hospital. Oshinsky has a knack for describing the personalities and quirks of those who impacted Bellevue, from politicians at Tammany Hall to the doctors and nurses who worked on the wards to the researchers in its famous pathology labs and morgue. A fantastic piece of narrative nonfiction, I would recommend it to anyone interested in NYC and/or medicine.

[asukamaxwell · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

To tell the story of Bellevue Hospital is to tell the story of New York. Since its humble beginnings as an almshouse in 1736, Bellevue has seen almost every outbreak and epidemic in NYC: yellow fever, cholera, smallpox, typhus, tuberculosis, influenza and AIDS. Bellevue, as a public hospital, was the largest provider for Irish, German and Italian immigrants, souls deemed "too poor" or "too far gone" by other facilities. Bellevue was also on the frontline of the American Civil War, the Great Depression, and created the first ambulance fleet, opened the first nursing school for women, pioneered medical photography and forensic science. The book includes the incredibly pioneering but forgotten stories of Valentine Mott, Stephen Smith, Oscar G. Mason, Edward Dalton, Ignaz Semmelweis and many others. The more popular names include Florence Nightingale, Nellie Bly, David Hosack, Joseph Lister and Alexander Gettler (of Radium Girls fame)

I couldn't give it a perfect score for how quickly it covered the asylum portion of Bellevue. Also, the voices are largely those of the medical staff, and I would've liked to have seen more from the "cured." But I had zero issue with the cuts to outside events, I feel like it always circled back at the right moment.

[juliestielstra · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

As a hospital librarian, I'm a geek for books likes this. As a writer published in the Bellevue Literary Review, a lit mag published by the NYU Langone Medical Center, I'm even more kindly inclined. And I loved Oshinsky's previous book on polio. In "Bellevue," he knits together a history of New York City, medical practice and eminent practitioners, and the hospital itself. Though many think of Bellevue as the legendary "looney bin," it is in fact an amazing institution of dedicated, sophisticated medical care for anyone and everyone who comes through the doors, even and especially those in desperate straits with no other option. Such a mission may seem quixotic, foolish, dangerous and -these days - critically endangered. Young doctors died in dozens during yellow fever epidemics; later on, indigent and despised TB-infected immigrants were treated there, as were the AIDS patients when no one knew what was even wrong with them except that it was deadly. It's a great story, well told, and I'm also a sucker for any writer who thanks - by name! - the librarians who helped him research it. Well done!

[melydia_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A thorough history of New York's largest and most famous public hospital, from its early days through the present, with stops by numerous famous events that affected its residents, from the Civil War riots to the AIDS epidemic to Hurricane Sandy. There were a couple stretches, like events that happened elsewhere involving doctors who once, say, interned at Bellevue, but that isn't all that important. If you like medical history, this is a decent read.

[3wheeledlibrarian · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I appreciated this as a lens through which to understand the history of NYC, and the history of American medicine.

[arielfl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

To tell the story of Bellevue, America's first hospital, is to tell the story of the United States. From it's humble beginnings as a almshouse that served soldiers in the 1600's it has morphed into a world class hospital that treats the complex cases of ebola today. This book covers every major advancement of medicine from an influenza outbreak, the idea that germs could cause sickness, the formation of a nurses, pain medication, mental health advancements, the Aids epidemic, and Super Storm Sandy, and chronicles them through the microscopic lens of Bellevue Hospital. This book is a fascinating journey through medical history. While reading this you can't help but feel grateful for those medical pioneers of the past. After reading about some of the medical treatments of the past I feel fortunate to live in 2017 where we have anesthesia, medical imagining devices, and modern drugs.

[juva_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This history of Bellevue hospital is a fascinating and surprising one. Going through the years of civil war, influenza, cholera, tuberculosis, wwi, wwii, and the age of terrorism this book has something for everyone. A book about charity, poverty, plague, and the resolute march of science; beautifully written and very detailed.

[meandmybooks-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Oshinsky traces Bellevue hospital's history, from its beginnings as a “hospital for the accommodation and relief of such persons afflicted with contagious distempers” in 1795 through to its operations today, and along with the history of this specific hospital he conveys much of the story of public hospital care in America. As well as the story of Bellevue, Oshinsky tells the story of how Americans – doctors and nurses, researchers, social reformers, and others – have addressed the problems posed to a rapidly growing urban population by disease, sanitation challenges, poverty, and prejudice. Beginning with yellow fever and the eventual recognition of the conditions that nurtured it, Oshinsky's narrative goes on to include surgery during the Civil War, the professionalization of nursing, germ theory, the surgeries of Presidents Garfield and Cleveland, mental illness, and AIDS. A few things, such as the shock therapy used on young children in the 1940's and the antisemitism in medical schools in the 1920s through the 1950s, stood out as particularly startling for me, but, really, the whole book is interesting. The stories of significant individuals and their roles are engagingly presented, and the sense of the “big picture” is well maintained. A big story, coherently told.

[askelmore · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Even if you don’t live in NYC, it’s possible you’ve heard of Bellevue hospital. If not by name, then by the stories told about it. It was the facility that treated the man who had Ebola in New York, and it is the one that had to evacuate patients in plastic medical sleds down over a dozen flights of stairs during Hurricane Sandy when the building lost power. And that’s just the headlines from the last five years.

Bellevue is a public hospital, providing care mostly to those who cannot pay or who other facilities will not see. It has been providing this care in some form or another since the 1700s, which, given how relatively young the U.S., is impressive as hell. It was on the front line of so many outbreaks, including the AIDS crisis in the 1980s. But it’s the stories from the 1700s and 1800s that I found to be especially fascinating. I know we’re all familiar with the fact that anesthesia didn’t used to exist (but amputations did), and that germ theory took a while to catch on, but reading the background behind these discoveries and their introductions, set against this amazing institutions history, is just incredible.

I’ve started a couple of large histories of medical conditions or healthcare facilities this year. I gave up on Emperor of All Maladies, and I’m struggling to get past the first chapter of Blood. However, this one, released just four weeks ago, was not hard to get through at all. If you have any interest in New York history, or medical history, or just good non-fiction, I think you will find this a worthwhile read.

[annbury_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is a history of Bellevue, New York's oldest and greatest public hospital. But it's also a history of lots more -- medical care, the city of New York, public policy, epidemiology, and on and on. As well as good history, it is a terrific read. It is not at all overwhelmed by an extensive and well-researched volume of material, while the author's admiration for Bellevue's mission provides a strong connecting theme. New Yorkers in particular may find this book fascinating, but so will many other readers.

[rivkat_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

History of one very public hospital—the kind of place you went because when you had to go there, they had to take you in. Some focus on key moments in the hospital’s history, from its treatment of the mentally ill to the AIDS crisis, but the book gains momentum and color as it goes and the sources get better and more diverse; it ends with a really interesting examination of the response to Hurricane Sandy, which closed the hospital for the first time in its existence.

[tangledthread · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

David Oshinsky traces the history of storied Bellevue Hospital from the acquisition of the land in the 1730's to the successful treatment of a patient with Ebola virus in 2014.

The story of the hospital reflects much of the story of health care, medical training, and public health in the United States. The chapters are arranged chronologically, and it seems that one challenging era follows another. Each challenge produced changes, mostly advances, in medical care.

It also covers the many notable characters of medicine who emerged from either training or service at Bellevue. But one of the underlying themes of the book is that the true heroes of Bellevue are the generations of dedicated physicians, nurses, researchers, and other care providers who have graced the institution over the past three centuries.

[oldbookswine · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Watcher of crime TV, reader of mystery, This book is for you. Bellevue Hospital, in New York City has played a role both in fact and fiction. This book by David Oshinsky gives you the history of this great hospital from beginning to Hurricane Sandy.

A publicly supported hospital with research , teaching and practice all in one, this hospital gives you a real sense of what medicine is about., people. Rocommended highly.

[mchwest · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

WOW, very well written, a historical find in a book. I never realized how long this hospital had been open and still taking all walks of life. This book kept my interest and I wanted to make sure to say if you've enjoyed this you should also check out, Five Days at Memorial, a NO hospital after Katrina.

[akblanchard_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

At Bellevue Hospital Center (now NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue), staff members think of their workplace as the "bring it on" hospital. "We're essential. We can handle just about anything," said the chief of medical service after the hospital saved the life of a patient diagnosed with the Ebola virus (p. 317). Bellevue earned this reputation through three centuries of providing care to New York City's poorest and most desperate residents, including early AIDS victims and violent psychiatric patients. Moreover, the hospital has endured many crises, such as epidemics, infrastructure issues, budget shortfalls, treatment controversies, and even a brutal murder. The institution has survived in no small part due to the dedication of generations of doctors, nurses, and other staff members.

In short, readable chapters, David Oshinsky offers a stirring tribute to the United States' oldest public hospital, a place whose history mirrors the history of American medicine. Highly recommended for any reader interested in medicine, history or both.

[shetreadssoftly · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Bellevue: Three Centuries of Medicine and Mayhem at America's Most Storied Hospital by David Oshinsky is a very highly recommended history of Bellevue, America's oldest hospital and the iconic public hospital in NYC. This is a commanding history of Bellevue, but even more interesting, of American medicine in the USA, and the various people who played a part in the advances in medicine over the years. As it was at the beginning, Bellevue is dedicated to helping people who need help.

Bellevue opened in 1738 as an almshouse and pesthouse. "Bellevue Hospital, on New York City's East Side, occupies a colorful and horrifying place in the public imagination: a den of mangled crime victims, vicious psychopaths, assorted derelicts, lunatics, and exotic-disease sufferers. In its two and a half centuries of service, there was hardly an epidemic or social catastrophe—or groundbreaking scientific advance—that did not touch Bellevue." The current facilities, 25-story and 1,200-beds, see more than 600,000 patients annually through emergency rooms and outpatient clinics.

Oshinsky traces the history of Bellevue from the early beginnings of quacks, butchery, bleeding patients, and unchecked epidemics. Bellevue accepted anyone who needed help. It treated various epidemics (cholera, yellow fever, small pox) that swept the city, often taking in dying patients sent form other hospitals. It treated patients with typhus, tuberculosis, influenza, puerperal fever, AIDS, and, recently, Ebola. Bellevue was involved in the research of epidemics and germ theory, worked on reforming public health, treated Civil War soldiers, saw the origin of clinical research, the first ambulance fleet, started the first nursing school for women, and pioneered medical photography and psychiatric treatment. More importantly, Oshinsky covers the many physicians and people in the history of Bellevue and medicine. The list of people involved is long and varied. Currently Bellevue is still committed to its mission to train medical professionals.

This is a fascinating medical history with a focus on Bellevue and NYC. Oshinsky includes comprehensive notes and 16 pages of photographs.

Disclosure: My advanced reading copy was courtesy of the publisher/author.