A new permanent exhibition dedicated to the history of American medicine is now open at Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia. The Pennsylvania Hospital Museum occupies three floors of the Pine Building, which first opened in 1756, and draws on the institution’s own archives to trace nearly three centuries of medical practice.
Founded in 1751 by Dr. Thomas Bond and Benjamin Franklin, Pennsylvania Hospital holds the distinction of being the first hospital in the colonies. It also established the country’s first apothecary, medical library, maternity ward, and surgical amphitheater. The museum, reviewed by Pamela J. Forsythe for Broad Street Review, covers all of them.
The Apothecary and Its Remedies
The restored apothecary anchors the first floor. Remedies formulated in the European herbal tradition were mixed and dispensed here starting in 1762. On display are 19th- and 20th-century patent medicines, including preparations from Smith Kline & French Laboratories in Philadelphia and other regional manufacturers. Several contained high percentages of alcohol and were marketed as cure-all liniments or nerve tonics.
Founding Documents and Early Figures
The museum displays a handwritten page from Benjamin Franklin’s notes taken at the hospital’s first board of managers meeting on April 6, 1751. A silver medallion Franklin commissioned — depicting the Parable of the Good Samaritan, which became the hospital’s seal — is also on view.
The exhibition traces how medical training evolved from informal arrangements into a formal profession. A signed indenture agreement from 1773 belonging to Jacob Ehrenzeller, recognized as the first medical resident in the colonies, is among the artifacts. Nursing history is covered too; the hospital graduated its first nursing class in 1883.
Notable Names in the Archive
Recognizable historical figures appear throughout. Dr. Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of Independence remembered as the father of American psychiatry, joined the staff in 1783. He advocated for treating mental illness as a medical condition rather than a moral failing, and introduced occupational therapy for patients…