Woman's Hospital in the State of New York
Records 

1855 - 1952 bulk dates; 1855-1966; 1988 broad dates
34 boxes, 9 volumes (122 inches)

PROVENANCE

It is unknown exactly when these materials came into the possession of Bolling Memorial Library at St. Luke’s Hospital Center. The materials were transferred to the Arthur H. Aufses, Jr., MD Archives in June 2016, after the 2013 merger of the Continuum Health Partners, Inc. (consisting of St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center, Beth Israel Medical Center, and the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary) and The Mount Sinai Medical Center.

HISTORICAL NOTE:

The Woman’s Hospital Association was organized February 10, 1855, with the intent of establishing the Woman’s Hospital, which would be a charity institution exclusively for the treatment of “diseases peculiar to women.” The hospital would also be a teaching facility where physicians and surgeons could observe and learn the new techniques of Drs. J. Marion Sims and Thomas Addis Emmet, both gynecological surgeons.

The Woman’s Hospital Association was the result of a meeting of thirty-five influential New York City women gathered together by Dr. Sims. At this meeting, Sims spoke about New York’s need for a hospital where gynecological diseases could be treated. The women supported the idea and organized the Association, whose membership was regulated by a fixed schedule of contributions. The Hospital was established in May of 1855 and incorporated later that year. Its managers were chosen by a majority of the Association members at its annual meeting. The Association was led by six women (three Directresses, a Secretary, a Treasurer, an Assistant Treasurer), and a Board of Managers, often referred to as the ‘Board of Lady Managers,’ comprised of 35 women. An Executive Committee of seven women was appointed annually by the Board of Managers to manage the day to day affairs of the institution.

In 1857 the Hospital was re-incorporated by the New York State Legislature as the 'Woman's Hospital in the State of New York,' and re-organized under an all-male Board of Governors. The twenty-seven Governors were responsible for the overall concerns of the Hospital, including filling vacancies of non-female staff, enacting the By-Laws and organizing the Medical Department.

The former Board of Managers became the Board of Supervisors, commonly referred to as the ‘Board of Lady Supervisors,’ charged with managing the operations of the Hospital, including the appointment of nurses and other female attendants. Out of this group ten women formed a ‘Board of Lady Managers,’ which was charged with handling the day to day business of the Hospital.

In 1887 the Board of Governors decided to invite four women from the Board of Lady Supervisors to fill vacancies on their Board. They found this integration “to be most acceptable in its results” and they decided to petition the State Legislature to amend the Acts of Incorporation to reorganize the Board of Governors to consist of fourteen men and thirteen women. The amendment passed on April 18, 1888. Included in these changes: the vice-president of the Board of Governors would be a woman and the Board of Lady Supervisors was discontinued. Additionally, an Executive Committee was created consisting of ten Governors “who shall have the general charge, control and superintendence of the hospital…subject to…the Board of Governors.” The Executive Committee was responsible for creating an “Assistant Board, composed of twenty-five ladies…”, with the vice-president of the Board of Governors as its Chairman.  This board was charged with handling the daily business of the Hospital. For several years the names ‘Associate Board” and “Assistant Board” were used interchangeably.

The Association chose a four-story brownstone house at 83 Madison Avenue (at 29th Street) as the Hospital’s first facility. According to the first annual report, it held forty beds and welcomed its first patient on May 4, 1855. The location was close to the residence of Dr. Sims who was in poor health and could not travel long distances to and from his work.  In 1858, via the petitioning of Dr. Sims, the City of New York offered the block of land between 49th and 50th Streets and Lexington and 4^th (subsequently Park) Avenues, to the Governors to become the site of a new hospital campus, operating from 1867 until 1902. This facility had room for seventy-five patients. A second building was added in 1877, doubling the number of beds. In 1902 this facility was closed and sold, and all services, except the out-patient clinic, were suspended until 1906, when a new building, between West 109^th and 110^th Streets and Amsterdam and Columbus Avenues, opened.

Over the years the Board recognized the need to develop additional services. A post-graduate school of nursing admitted its first class in 1888. The establishment of a hospital pharmacy in 1881, a maternity ward in 1910, and a social services department in 1912 are examples of the additional services made available at Woman’s Hospital.

On January 1, 1953, Woman’s Hospital merged with St. Luke’s Hospital. Being but a few blocks away from each other, the Board of Trustees of both Hospitals came to see that their histories and ideals were parallel, and that it would be beneficial to each to consolidate their resources, which would also strengthen medical services offered to the broader Morningside Heights community. In merging, the Woman's Hospital became the Woman's Hospital Division of St. Luke's Hospital. The Board added ‘Center' to the Hospital’s name in the mid-1960s to acknowledge distinctions between the different Hospitals. The Woman’s Hospital Board of Governors merged with the corresponding board at St. Luke’s, but the Ladies Associate Board remained independent and continued to meet for some years. The Woman’s Hospital Division continued to function on its 109^th Street site until 1965, when it moved into new quarters on the West 114^th Street campus.

In 1979, St. Luke’s Hospital Center merged with the Roosevelt Hospital forming St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center. In 1997 the Hospital Center joined with Beth Israel Medical Center under the Continuum Health Partners, LLC banner. In 2013 Continuum merged with Mount Sinai Medical Center forming the Mount Sinai Heath System. The St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center is now separately called Mount Sinai Morningside and Mount Sinai West. The Woman’s Hospital Division continued as such until mid-2019, when all the pre-merger names of St. Luke’s Hospital pavilions were removed or changed.

SCOPE AND CONTENT:

ABSTRACT: The documents comprising the records of the Woman’s Hospital in the State of New York include annual reports, committee reports, meeting minutes, correspondence, photographs, reprints and written works prepared by the medical staff, 19^th century patient casebooks, the manuscript of the first gynecological text book in the U.S., notebooks recording expectant fathers’ thoughts, original gynecological illustrations for text books, and medical instruments.  Although most of the material deals with the administrative aspects of the hospital, documentation of the medical staffs’ accomplishments is also provided.

Bound volumes of annual reports, which include reports from the Woman’s Hospital Association, Board of Governors, Board of Supervisors and the Medical Department, form the most complete series among these records, though the collection lacks the first 22 volumes of reports, and only starts at Volume 23, 1877-1878.  The reports provide a description of the hospital’s organizational structure and its constitution and by-laws.  Additionally, each offers an overview of the major events and accomplishments for that year: statistical data, such as the number of patients admitted and treated, financial information concerning the budget, and donations and their donors.  Several of the reports include the text of speeches given at the annual combined meetings of the Boards and biographical sketches of hospital physicians. (Note: Earlier copies of Woman’s Hospital annual reports are found at the New York Historical Society.)

Also included in the annual reports are monthly and quarterly reports submitted to the Board of Governors by the Boards and their committees. Their dates and numbers imply that several are missing.  These reports include statistical information, e.g., number of patients being treated, financial data, and descriptions of the hospital’s physical condition.  Although incomplete, the medical reports provide statistical and narrative reports of the pathologist and other physicians. 

Minutes of meetings constitute a significant portion of this collection. They record the proceedings of the various Boards and their respective committees. The discussions reveal the hierarchy in the Woman’s Hospital organizational structure. There are gaps in the reports, however.

Some correspondence addressed to the Board of Governors has been filed with the Board’s records. Several of the letters refer to appointments of physicians and other personnel, while the remainder are general in nature.

The casebooks span dates between 1855 and 1871 and include patient information from J. Marion Sims, MD and Thomas Addis Emmet, MD. The text includes original, hand drawn pencil sketches of some of the cases, sometimes in color. The original casebooks are fragile and have been digitally scanned for researcher use.

The records of the Woman’s Hospital in the State of New York shed light on the history of the Hospital from an organizational and medical perspective. The evolution of the hospital is highlighted by the wide time span covered by the materials. References to other hospitals and certain epidemics supply information about general health conditions in New York City during this time period

Restrictions on Access: There are no restrictions placed on access to these materials, however some materials are fragile, and use of them is at the discretion of the Archivist. These are noted where appropriate.

Related Materials Note: St. Luke’s Hospital Center Records after 1953 merger.

The New York Historical Society has copies of early annual reports that are not included in this collection, though not a complete run, as well as other miscellaneous Woman’s Hospital publications. The New York Academy of Medicine also has various publications about and from Woman’s Hospital.

CONTAINER LIST:

SERIES I: ANNUAL REPORTS (bound), 1877-1952

9 volumes (20 inches)

Volume 23-35 (1877/78 – 1889/90)
Volume 35-46 (1890/91 – 1900/01)
Volume 47-58 (1901/02 – 1912/13)
Volume 59-65 (1913/14 – 1919/20)
Volume 66-71 (1921 – 1926)
Volume 72-76 (1927 – 1931)
Volume 77-81 (1932 – 1936)
Volume 82-86 (1937 – 1941)
Volume 87-97 (1942 – 1952)

SERIES II: MINUTES

A. Woman’s Hospital Association Meeting 1855-1884
4 volumes (1 flat box, 3 inches) 

These volumes are fragile; access to them is at the discretion of the Archivist.

This series includes bound and unbound minutes from the Woman's Hospital Association of the Woman's Hospital, New York City, which consists of three slim volumes and one group of unbound pages, all of which contain handwritten meeting minutes.

1855-1858
1858-1863
1865-1875
1875-1884

B. Executive Committee Board of Governors, 1894-1952
5 Volumes (12 inches) 

Portions of these records may be closed due to privacy concerns. Please contact the Archives for information about access.

This series includes bound minutes from the Executive Committee of the Board of Governors of Woman's Hospital in the State of New York. The set is incomplete.

1 -  1894-1902
2 -  1907-1914
3 -  1914-1923
4 -  1923-1939
5 -  1949-1952

C. Board of Governors, 1875-1952
4 Volumes (10 inches)

Portions of these records may be closed due to privacy concerns. Please contact the Archives for information about access.

1 - 1875-1882
2 - 1883-1889
3 - 1897-1908
4 - 1943-1952

D. Board of Lady Supervisors, 1868-1889
6 volumes in (2.5 inches)

These volumes are fragile; access to them is at the discretion of the Archivist.

This series includes bound and unbound minutes from the Board of Lady Supervisors of the Woman’s Hospital in the State of New York, which consists of five slim volumes and one group of unbound pages, all of which contain handwritten meeting minutes.

1 - 1868-1876
2 - 1879-1881
3 - 1881-1882
4 - 1882-1884
5 - 1884-1886
6 - 1886-1889

E. Board of Lady Managers - Executive Committee, 1873-1888
12 volumes (6 inches) 

These volumes are fragile; access to them is at the discretion of the Archivist.

This series includes bound and unbound minutes of the Board of Lady Managers, under the of Board of Supervisors, of the Woman's Hospital in the State of New York. They are handwritten minutes. All but the first volume refers to these as Executive Committee minutes.

1873 Oct – 1876 Nov
1876 Nov – 1877 Nov
1877 Nov – 1879 Nov
1879 Nov – 1881 Feb
1881 Feb – 1882 Nov
1882 Dec – 1883 Dec
1884 Jan - 1884 Dec
1884 Dec – 1885 Nov
1885 Nov – 1886 June
1886 June – 1887 Mar
1887 Mar – 1888 Feb
1888 Feb - 1888 June

F. Ladies Assistant Board, 1891-1942
6 folders (5 inches) 

These materials are fragile; access to them is at the discretion of the Archivist.

This series includes bound and unbound minutes of the Ladies Assistant Board, directed by the Executive Committee of the Board of Governors of the Woman's Hospital in the State of New York. Early minutes are handwritten; later minutes are typed. In the early minutes the board calls themselves the Ladies Associate Board, which was used interchangeably with the Ladies Assistant Board for a few years, until it was clarified in the By-Laws. The responsibilities under both titles remained the same: daily management of the Hospital.

G. Medical Board
2 volumes (2 inches)

These materials are two volumes of handwritten meeting minutes of the Medical Board of Woman's Hospital in the State of New York.1.

1. 1872-1883
2. 1891-1907

H. Sub-committees of the Board of Governors
3 volumes (2.5 inches)

The Legal Committee minutes include newspaper clippings and correspondence added between the pages. Only 43 pages of the volume are used. The minutes of the Building Committee discusses changes to the buildings and construction of the Baldwin Pavilion. The Property Committee minutes uses only 35 pages of 300. All minutes are handwritten.

A. Legal Committee, 1879-1894 (1 inch) 
B. Building Committee, 1876 (.5 inches) 
C. Property Committee, 1879 (1 inch)

SERIES III: RECORDS – MISCELLANEOUS, 1877-1988

1 box (2.5 inches)

SERIES IV: SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT TO LADIES ASSISTANT BOARD, 1916-1942

4 folders (2.5 inches)

These are reports made by the Superintendent of the hospital to the Ladies Assistant Board.

SERIES V: BABIES ALUMNI RECORDS

1 volume, 1 folder (2 inches)

These volumes are fragile, access to them is at the discretion of the Archivist.

These materials include examples of solicitation letters for contributions to the Babies Alumni Association fund and a register listing the names, addresses, and assumed birthdays of children born and/or enrolled in the Babies Alumni Association.

Letters, 1 folder, 1931; 1944, undated
Registry, 1 volume, 1921 – 1931 November

SERIES VI: SIMS/EMMET SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS

1 flat box (2 inches)

Access to these materials is at the discretion of the Archivist.

This collection of surgical instruments are examples of those developed by Dr. J. Marion Sims and Dr. Thomas Addis Emmet and used in their gynecology practice. Includes a photograph with images depicting how some of the instruments were used.

SERIES VII: PATIENT CASE BOOKS

3 oversize, volumes (9.5 inches total)

This series includes original casebooks from Dr. J. Marion Sims and Dr. Thomas Addis Emmet and include original, hand drawn sketches of some of the cases (color and black and white).

J. Marion Sims, 1855-1861
Sims/Emmet, 1859-1868
General, 1857-1871

SERIES VIII: FATHER'S BOOKS, 1940-1944

4 notebooks (2 inches) 

These are notebooks that were placed in the waiting area of the maternity wards to capture the thoughts of fathers-to-be. The instructions in each book read: "Fathers-to-be: One hears of the long hours of agonies suffered by prospective fathers, but to date no scientific or medical efforts have been made to lessen these hours of waiting. We, therefore, would like to offer this little literary sedative in which we hope to be able to show would-be fathers that paternal fatalities to date are unheard of statistics. Simply write on the following pages any thoughts, ideas, or emotional reactions you may have had, which in turn may help to keep fathers of the future in a more optomistic [sic] frame of mind. We ask for your co-operation." Fathers-to-be contributed thoughts, prayers, drawings, and poems.

SERIES IX: THE TIMES [newsletter]

1 volume, 1 folder (1.5 inches)

This newsletter includes one bound volume (1949-1960) and 11 unbound single issues (1961-1965). Topics include updates on the events of the Hospital and its staff, such as new positions, new babies, retirements, special anniversaries, award dinners, holiday events, etc. This is not a complete run of the newsletter.

SERIES X: REPRINTS AND WRITINGS 

A. Edwin Denison Morgan Memorial Volume
This volume is fragile; access is at the discretion of the Archivist.
1 volume (1 inch)

This single volume memorializes Edwin Denison Morgan, a member of the Board of Governors of Woman's Hospital, by describing his funeral, including speeches from it and tributes by many who were acquainted with Morgan.

B. J.E. Gaillard Thomas Writings, 1869-1894
3 folders (2 inches) 

This is a small collection of medical articles, or and lectures by T. Gaillard Thomas, MD, on various topics of gynecological diseases or treatments and a copy of published tributes given to Thomas on the celebration of his 70^th birthday.

C. J.E. Jevrin Reprints, 1874-1908

13 items (2 inches) 

This is a small collection of reprints of medical journal articles published between 1874 and 1908 by J.E. Jevrin, MD, on various topics of gynecological diseases, treatments, or surgeries.

Reprints from the 1870s

D.J. Marion Sims-Collection of Papers and Reprints, 1846-1987
1 box (5 inches)

These materials are fragile; access is at the discretion of the Archivist.

This small collection consists primarily of reprints of Dr. Sim’s published articles, and several biographical articles written about Sims, including a script and related materials to a play about Sims, the address given at the dedication of his statue in New York City, and several letters written by Sims, including his 1874 resignation letter from Woman’s Hospital.

1. General Materials

2. Medical Reprints (arranged by date)

3. Biographical Reprints

E. Thomas Addis Emmet Collection of Books, Reprints, And Letters, 1864-1965
1 box (5 inches)

This unprocessed collection consists of reprints of Emmet's published articles, with a few hardbound books, pamphlets, clippings and several handwritten letters by him. Arranged by date of publication.

1 . Books, Reprints, Letters

2. Manuscript of text - Principles and Practices of Gynecology by Thomas Addis Emmet
3 volumes (8 inches)

Original handwritten manuscript, bound by a wire closure; in three volumes. The handwritten volumes are undated, but the book was published in 1879.

F. Randolph Peaslee Books and Reprints, 1848-1878
1 flat box (3 inches)

These items are fragile; access to them is at the discretion of the Archivist.

This collection consists of eight items: three hardbound books and five pamphlets. Several are addresses given by the author to the Medical School of Maine; two are tributes to Peaslee by other authors, one is a text on ovarian tumors by Peaslee and most notably, a copy of "A Reply to Dr. J. Marion Sims’ Pamphlet, entitled “The Woman’s Hospital in 1874,” by his former colleagues...', which was a part of a controversy resulting from Sims' resignation from Woman's Hospital. These articles are arranged by publication date.

• Peaslee, E. Randolph, MD. An Introductory Address, delivered before the Medical Class of the Medical School of Maine, March 13, 1848.
• Peaslee, E. Randolph, MD. An Introductory Address, delivered before the Class of the Medical School of Maine, March, 1851.
• Peaslee, E. Randolph, MD. The Moral Character of the Medical Profession. An Introductory Address, delivered before the Medical Class of the Medical School of Maine, Session of 1852-3. 1852
• Peaslee, E. R., MD. The Progress and the Spirt of Medical Science. An Anniversary Discourse, delivered before the New York Academy of Medicine, November 25, 1858. 1859
• Peaslee, E. Randolph, MD.  Ovarian Tumors: Their Pathology, diagnosis, and Treatment. 1872
• Peaslee, E. Randolph, MD, T.A. Emmet, MD, and T. G. Thomas, MD. Reply to Dr. J. Marion Sims’ Pamphlet, entitled “The Woman’s Hospital in 1874,” by his former colleagues… 1877
• Barker, Fordyce, MD. Biographical Tribute Read before the New York Academy of Medicine, by Vote of the Council, February 7^th, 1878. Remarks by Drs. T. Gaillard Thomas, Austin Flint, and R. J. O’Sullivan. 1878
• Bartlett, Samuel C., DD. Edmund Randolph Peaslee: A Memorial Discourse delivered before the Faculty and Students of Dartmouth College, Sunday, September 1, 1878.

SERIES XI: PHOTOGRAPHS AND ARTWORK

This series includes two books of photographs of the women in leadership at the Woman’s Hospital. They were created and given to the Hospital as a gift by Margaret Olivia Slocum Sage, more commonly known as Olivia Sage, or Mrs. Russell Sage. It also includes original artwork in the form of gynecological illustrations by illustrator Leonard D. Dank used in texts book by Harold M.M. Tovell, MD.

A. Photograph Album Presented to the Lady Supervisors by Mrs. Russell Sage, 1889
1 volume (2 inches)

The inscription, "Presented to the Lady Supervisors by Mrs. Russell Sage, 1889" is stamped on the cover. The volume contains portrait images of the women on the Board with their names below each image. Towards the back of the album there is an image of an un-named gentleman and another of an infant, followed by empty pages. The album is leather-bound with a metal clasp meant to hold it closed.

B. Photograph Album of the Incorporators of the Woman's Hospital, circa 1889, gift of Mrs. Russell Sage
1 volume (3 inches) 

The inscription, "Incorporators of the Woman's Hospital Presented by Mrs. Russell Sage" is stamped on the cover. The volume contains photographic portraits of the women who were involved with the incorporation of Woman's Hospital, with their names below each image. Toward the back of the album there is list of all the names as well. The album is leather-bound with a metal clasp to hold it closed; the edges of the pages are covered in gold leaf. The volume is undated but assumed to have been created about 1889.

C. Original illustrations for Gynecological Operations as performed by WH staff
65 items (6 inches)

The collection includes sixty-five large plates of illustrations to the text, Gynecologic Operations as Performed by Members of the Staff of Woman's Hospital, St. Luke's Hospital Center, New York, by Harold M.M. Tovell, MD and illustrator Leonard D. Dank. Box also includes one clipping of an article on the book with picture of the two men.

D. Original illustration for Diseases of the Vulva in Clinical Practice by Harold M.M. Tovell, MD and Alexander W. Young, Jr. MD
1 item (.25 inches)

This is a single illustration used in the textbook, Diseases of the Vulva in Clinical Practice, by Harold M.M. Tovell, MD and Alexander W. Young, Jr., MD, illustration by Leonard D. Dank.

E. Archives Photograph Collection, Woman's Hospital Series

Processed by:
Marlene R. Horowitz, MLS, June, 1981

Collection Guide by:
Nancy Panella, Ph.D., autumn, 2015
Michala Biondi, MA, Revised and expanded July 2019; April 2020