Philadelphia Antiques Show 2018

Center Building on Pine Street. The Hospital is very fortunate to have so much of the original structure. Inside, open wards have given way to offices and conference rooms, but the bones of the building have been retained. The Portuguese floor tiles, laid in the 1850’s during renovations to the Pine Building, were placed over the original wide-planked pine floor. The Pine Building was granted National Historic Landmark status in 1965. Maintaining a building for over 250 years is no easy task, but one that was made slightly easier by taking precautions in the event of a tragedy. In colonial America fire was a serious threat, especially to the Pennsylvania Hospital. The first fire engine used by the hospital was donated to the institution by a Quaker friend, Elias Bland of London, in 1763. The fire engine was used to combat small combustions, such as kitchen, candle or tobaccofires. The Boardof Managers purchased an additional fire engine in 1803, which is still on display in the Great Court of the Pine Building. The second, a pumper fire engine, is believed to be the work of Philadelphia engine maker Philip Mason. It was mobile, providing a quicker response to the entire hospital. Fortunately, the Pine Building never experienced a major fire. Sprinklers were installed recently in the entire Pine Building for the first time, further protecting the history of the building and collections. Keeping a vigilant eye was something the hospital staff was accustomed to doing. Many kept an eye on the mentally ill, as they became a source of both inquiry and entertainment. Between the opening of the Pennsylvania Hospital and the construction of the West Wing in 1796, the mentally ill patient population of the hospital bourgeoned, creating a concern for the welfare of all patients. While the early physicians opened the door to possibly curing the mentally ill, they were not in agreement as to the course of action to achieve that goal; a simple diet, exercise and fresh air were seen as first steps. Certainly they did no harm, but they also did not relieve many of the mentally ill patients of their symptoms. In fact, by exercising the mentally ill patients outside the building, they attracted unwanted attention as citizens began visiting the hospital to watch the mentally ill as a form of entertainment. Today, the dry moat—the area the mentally ill patients walked—is still visible and accessible to authorized personnel. The interest in the mentally ill did not wane, but the Hospital policy toward access to the mentally ill changed under leading physician Benjamin Rush. Rush joined the Pennsylvania Hospital staff in 1783 and took an immediate interest in the mentally ill patients. Rush graduated from Princeton University (then the College of New Jersey) in 1760, after which he moved to Philadelphia in 1761 to study medicine with Dr. John Redman. He went abroad to study medicine at the University of Edinburgh, receiving his medical degree two years later in 1768. Rush returned to Philadelphia a year later, set up his private practice, and began teaching at the College of Philadelphia (now University of Pennsylvania). Once on staff at the Pennsylvania Hospital, Rush worked to improve the physical conditions of the mentally ill by advocating for their rooms to be heated (it was falsely believed the mentally ill were impervious to hot/ Portrait, Benjamin Rush Thomas Sully, (1783-1872). Philadelphia, 1813. Pennsylvania Hospital Historic Collections. American Hand-Operated Fire Pump Philip Mason, Philadelphia. 1803. Pennsylvania Hospital Historic Collections. W 136 W