Wills Eye Hospital

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Wills Eye Hospital
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Wills Eye Hospital outpatient entrance
Wills Eye Hospital
Geography
Location840 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Organization
Type Specialist
Affiliated university Thomas Jefferson University
Services
SpecialityOphthalmology
History
Opened1832
Links
Website http://www.willseye.org
Lists Hospitals in Pennsylvania

Wills Eye Hospital is a non-profit eye clinic and hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was established in 1832 and is the oldest continually operating eye-care facility in the United States. It is the ophthalmology residency program for Thomas Jefferson University.

Contents

Since 1990, Wills Eye Hospital has consistently been ranked one of the top three ophthalmology hospitals in the United States by U.S. News & World Report and its ophthalmology residency program is considered one of the most competitive residency programs in the world. [1]

History

Wills Hospital (1897), 18th & South Logan Square, Philadelphia, PA. Now site of The Logan Hotel. Wills Hospital, Philadelphia, by Newell, R., d. 1897.jpg
Wills Hospital (1897), 18th & South Logan Square, Philadelphia, PA. Now site of The Logan Hotel.

James Wills Jr., a Quaker merchant, was instrumental in the founding of Wills Eye through his bequest of $116,000 in 1832 to the City of Philadelphia. Wills stipulated that the funds were to be used specifically for the indigent, blind, and lame. Over the years it evolved into solely an eye hospital. The first Wills Hospital opened in 1834 on Logan Square at 18th & Race Streets.

Early surgeons at Wills Eye included Isaac Parrish, M.D. and Isaac Hays, MD, [2] George Fox, M.D., and Squier Littell, M.D., who in 1837 wrote "A Manual of Diseases of the Eye." [3] In 1854, Littell also co-edited "A Treatise on Operative Ophthalmic Surgery" with Henry Haynes Walton. [4]

Historic building

Wills Eye Hospital
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Wills Hospital location from 1932-1980 (building located at 1601 Spring Garden Street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
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Coordinates 39°57′48″N75°9′56″W / 39.96333°N 75.16556°W / 39.96333; -75.16556
Area0.8 acres (0.32 ha)
Built1931-1932
ArchitectJohn T. Windrim
Architectural styleFederal Tuscan
NRHP reference No. 84003582 [5]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPJuly 12, 1984
Designated PHMCOctober 9, 2009 [6]

The Centennial Building of Wills Eye Hospital was designed by architect John T. Windrim and built in 1931-1932. It is a six-story, brick building measuring 154 by 157 feet (47 by 48 m). The front facade features a portico with eight Tuscan order columns. [7] The building is now residential apartments.

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. [5]

Medical achievements

Wills Eye has pioneered many techniques in the field of ophthalmology, including:

Notable people

Senior officials

References

  1. "Rankings". health.usnews.com. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
  2. Jackson, Samuel. Memoir of Isaac Parrish, M.D., Google Books.
  3. "Bernard Becker Collection in Ophthalmology - Records #201-250". beckerexhibits.wustl.edu.
  4. Walton, Henry Haynes and Littell, Squier, "A Treatise on Operative Ophthalmic Surgery", Google Books.
  5. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  6. "PHMC Historical Markers". Historical Marker Database. Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
  7. "National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania" (Searchable database). CRGIS: Cultural Resources Geographic Information System.Note: This includes George E. Thomas (February 1984). "National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: Wills Hospital" (PDF). Retrieved June 16, 2012.
  8. Gorman, Ali, Artificial retina gives hope for sight. ABCgolocal.com.
  9. Avril, Tom Implant gives new hope to the blind. philly.com, Sept. 8, 2009.
  10. Through My Eyes: The Charlie Kelman Story, January 2010, WLIW21, New York

Sources

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Wills Eye Hospital at Wikimedia Commons