Virtual Massachusetts General Hospital Homepage
Massachusetts General Hospital (often abbreviated to "Mass General" or just "MGH")
is a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School and biomedical research
facility in Boston, Massachusetts. It is owned and operated by Partners
HealthCare (which also owns Brigham and Women's Hospital and North Shore Medical
Center). Also, it is part of the consortium of hospitals which operates Boston
MedFlight and a member of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center.
History
Founded in 1811, the original hospital was designed by the famous American
architect Charles Bulfinch. It is the third oldest general hospital in the
United States, and the oldest and largest in New England. Members of the “Boston
Associates” founded Massachusetts General Hospital. The Boston Associates were a
group of businessmen. They were ‘cotton lords’ who made their money in the
cotton trade by either buying and selling cotton from the American south or the
New England textile mills. Monies earned from their support of and profit from
American slavery enabled them to open Massachusetts General Hospital and the
McLean Asylum. John Warren, Professor of Anatomy and Surgery at Harvard Medical
School, which was located in Cambridge then, spearheaded the move of the medical
school to Boston. Warren's son, John Collins Warren, along with James Jackson,
led the efforts to start the Massachusetts General Hospital. Since all those who
had sufficient money were cared for at home, Massachusetts General Hospital,
like most hospitals that were founded in the 19th century, was intended to care
for the poor. During mid- to late-1800's, Harvard Medical School was located
adjacent to Massachusetts General Hospital.
