August 25, 1916] 



SCIENCE 



257 



decided his career. Thenceforward all his 

 powers, all his energies, were devoted to 

 neurology — then almost a new department 

 of medicine with which we are now so fa- 

 miliar. 



His very touch was vibrant with the rest- 

 less mental forces within him. Every in- 

 stitution with which he was connected, 

 every committee he was on, took on a new 

 and vigorous life. The University of Penn- 

 sylvania, the College of Physicians, the Di- 

 rectory for Nurses, the Philadelphia Li- 

 brary, and in later life the Carnegie 

 Institution and this hospital, all felt the 

 throb of his genius. 



Another evidence of Dr. Mitchell's wide 

 influence and at the same time a beautiful 

 tribute to his memory, so modestly done 

 that I have only just heard of it, is the 

 fully equipped Convalescent Home for 

 Children established by Miss Anne Thom- 

 son near Devon. While other hospitals 

 share in this bounty, Miss Thomson's first 

 thought was for this hospital so dear to Dr. 

 Mitchell's heart and therefore to her own. 

 The same potent influence won for you the 

 services of your invaluable president. 



In 1871 his connection with the Ortho- 

 paedic Hospital began. He had thirsted for 

 several years for the wider circle of clinical 

 opportunities which a hospital would give 

 for the observation of neurological dis- 

 eases. There was no hospital in Philadel- 

 phia which had even so much as a ward for 

 these sorely suffering patients, often indeed 

 derelicts on the sea of humanity. Indeed, 

 there were then but six such hospitals in all 

 Europe and only two others in the United 

 States. Mitchell, with quick vision, recog- 

 nized his opportunity. Many of the results 

 of nervous diseases, especially of their pal- 

 sies, resulted in deformities and disabilities 

 which could only be remedied or alleviated 

 by orthopaedic surgery. 



In 1867 on Ninth Street, between Market 

 and Chestnut Streets, Thomas G. Morton, 



H. Earnest Goodman, Agnew and the two 

 Grosses had founded a small "Orthopaedic 

 Hospital." Mitchell joined forces with 

 them and from this little mustard seed has 

 grown this great tree, whose branches have 

 indeed been for the healing of the nations, 

 for its patients drawn especially by 

 Mitchell's great reputation came not only 

 from all over the United States, but from 

 foreign countries as well. 



The name was lengthened in 1893 to 

 "The Orthopaedic Hospital and Infirmary 

 for Nervous Diseases." If I may be al- 

 lowed a linguistic license the tail began by 

 being longer than the dog and it ended by 

 its wagging the dog. As I was formerly on 

 the active and am now on the consulting 

 surgical staff this homely simile is perhaps 

 permissible. 



By 1873 their narrow quarters became 

 too strait for the rapidly growing hospital 

 and they removed to Seventeenth and 

 Summer Streets, where an old residence 

 was fitted up. Then the community recog- 

 nized it. Funds began to be given and be- 

 queathed and patients multiplied. A few 

 years later (1887) a new hospital building 

 on the site of the old residence was opened, 

 Mr. Kuhn being the chairman of the build- 

 ing committee. This in turn was outgrown 

 and successively adjoining lots were pur- 

 chased until now the hospital owns seven 

 lots with a front of 224 feet on Summer 

 Street and 116 feet on Seventeenth Street, 

 though the last lot (no. 1713), presented to 

 the hospital as a memorial to his father by 

 the liberal and energetic president, C. 

 Hartman Kuhn, Esq., is as yet not physi- 

 cally incorporated into the hospital. 



A live growing hospital, like a live grow- 

 ing baby, is always greedy for nourish- 

 ment, but unlike the baby never suffers 

 from indigestion. There is a hospital 

 physiology which differs from that of ani- 

 mals and humans. Even a gorging 

 Thanksgiving dinner followed by a dessert 



