The Saint Mary’s Hospital Collection consists of 93 ledgers of hospital information about patient admissions, patients of German heritage, births, surgical operations, intensive care unit patients, deaths, physicians in Cincinnati, Ohio and information about a tuberculosis outbreak in New York City. The hospital was founded in 1858-1859 in Cincinnati, Ohio by the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor.
St. Mary’s Hospital in Cincinnati was a historic medical institution established in 1858–1859 by the Sisters of the Poor of St. Francis on Betts and Linn Streets. Designed by architect Anthony Bley, the hospital served thousands of Cincinnati’s impoverished and German citizens. With a capacity of 325 hospital beds, St. Mary’s Hospital treated over 2,000 patients each year. The hospital was enlarged in 1860 and again in 1875. It was well-known as an important facility for emergency cases and taking care of the medical needs of Cincinnati’s West End neighborhood. St. Mary’s was supported by the contributions of the public and the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. The historic hospital closed on May 1, 1971. The Sisters of the Poor of St. Francis also shaped other healthcare organizations in the Cincinnati region, including what is now Mercy Health. The St. Mary’s Hospital Collection may be useful for research in genealogy and the social and medical history of Cincinnati in the late 19th century.
The ledgers are categorized in thirteen series:
Series I.: Patient admissions of the St. Mary’s Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio, 1880—1970. Twenty-nine ledgers.
Series II.: German patient admissions of the St. Mary’s Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio, 1865—1879. Restricted due to fragility. Two ledgers.
Series III.: Patient re-admissions of the St. Mary’s Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio, 1950—1960. Two ledgers.
Series IV.: Delivery Room Births of the St. Mary’s Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio, 1942—1960. Five ledgers.
Series V.: Surgical Operations of the St. Mary’s Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio, 1913—1966. Seventeen ledgers.
Series VI: Intensive Care Unit Patients of the St. Mary’s Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio, 1976. One ledger.
Series VII.: Recovery Room Patients of the St. Mary’s Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio, 1974. One ledger.
Series VIII.: Patient Case Histories of the St. Mary’s Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio, 1898—1920. Three ledgers.
Series IX.: Patient Deaths of the St. Mary’s Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio, 1880—1971. Ten ledgers.
Series X.: Patient’s Physicians’ records of the St. Mary’s Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio, 1885—1922. Six ledgers
Series XI.: Doctor’s Books of the St. Mary’s Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio, 1947—1972. Nine ledgers.
Series XII.: Patient Registry ledgers of the St. Mary’s Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio, 1940—1971. Seven ledgers.
Series XIII.: Patients diagnosed with tuberculosis in New York, New York, 1959—1961. One ledger.
The majority of the Saint Mary’s Hospital Collection ledgers are fragile. The Henry R. Winkler Center for the History of the Health Professions may restrict and monitor access to certain ledgers in order to protect the integrity of the primary sources.
The ninety-three ledgers in the St. Mary’s Hospital Collection lists the following information: patient names; date of admittance; age; civil status; religion; birthplace; length of residency in the United States and in the City of Cincinnati; occupation; father’s name; mother’s surname prior to marriage; residence address; diagnosis; physicians name(s); discharge date; location; number of days in St. Mary’s Hospital; and, condition upon discharge.
The Saint Mary’s Hospital Collection is available for research by appointment at the Henry R. Winkler Center for the History of the Health Professions located in the Health Sciences Library on the University of Cincinnati east campus. Collection: Saint Mary’s Hospital Collection | University of Cincinnati Libraries Special Collections