Boston: Health Care

views updated

Boston: Health Care

Few places in the country have more doctors than Bostonmore than 500 per 100,000 peopleand health care is among the best. More than 20 inpatient hospitals are located within the city, including Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Beth Israel Hospital, Children's Hospital, New England Deaconess Hospital, the New England Medical Center and Boston Medical Center. The city is also home of the medical and dental schools of Tufts, Harvard, and Boston universities.

Boston's history of medical research is a long one. Massachusetts General was the first hospital to use anesthetic and to reattach a severed human limb. It also worked with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Shriners Burn Institute to pioneer the development of artificial skin. Brigham & Women's Hospital gained national recognition for its testing of the birth control pill. In addition to fine hospitals and renowned medical schools, Boston is also home to a Comprehensive Cancer Treatment Center. A number of cardiac rehabilitation centers and hospices for the critically ill also operate facilities in Boston.

Health Care Information: Massachusetts Medical Society Headquarters, 860 Winter Street, Waltham Woods Corporate Center, Waltham, MA 02451-1411; telephone: (781)893-4610 or (781)893-3800

About this article

Boston: Health Care

Updated About encyclopedia.com content Print Article