History of the Cleveland Clinic
Early History of the Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland physicians George Crile, William Lower, Frank Bunts, and John Phillips founded the Cleveland Clinic on February 4, 1921. The four doctors aspired to develop a medical center where medical professionals worked together as teams. Additionally, the new facility also invested in medical science research and medical education. Lower, Crile, and Bunts had previously worked together as a medical team during WWI. There, they applied their war experience to their new medical practices. The men developed a single-minded goal for the Clinic: "better care of the ill, investigation of their sickness, and continued education of those who serve."
Cleveland Clinic Fire
The facility grew quickly, breaking ground on a new hospital in 1922. Unfortunately, the clinic faced a significant setback as a result of a fire in Spring of 1929. Unfortunately, Dr. Phillips was among the 122 casualties of the blaze, which was made worse by toxic gas from burning nitro-cellulose x-ray films. The fire started when an exposed light bulb was too close to some nitro-cellulose x-ray film, igniting it. Eighty of the fatalities were either visitors or patients of the clinic, while the rest were employees. Investigators determined that the clinic was not to blame, but the Clinic fire impacted major changes at both the local and national levels. Cleveland's municipal government created a policy that fire departments will have gas masks as part of their equipment. They also created an ambulance service for the city. Across the country, medical facilities established new standards for storing dangerous materials such as x-ray film. Despite the tragedy and the beginning of the Great Depression, the Clinic still survived and continued to prosper.
Medical Discoveries and Break-Throughs
The Cleveland Clinic Foundation created a national reputation for its advancements in medical science and treatments in the years following WWII. Some of its physicals were renown authorities in treatment of heart disease. Physician Irvine Page studied the causes of hypertension and concluded that the disease was closely linked to patients diets. Physician F. Mason Sones, a native of Mississippi, was the first to create the heart catheterization procedure in 1955, which ultimately lead to the development of both coronary artery bypass surgery and interventional cardiology. Dr. Rene Favoloro conducted the first heart bypass surgery using a thigh vein in 1966. Other physicians have made great advances in the use and design of synthetic organs, organ transplants, and the treatment of kidney disease.
The Cleveland Clinic Today
Under the clinic's leadership, the Cleveland Clinic Educational Foundation was founded in 1935. The foundation's commitment to further education for medical professionals grew throughout the late 1900s. For the past tow decades, the Cleveland Clinic has educated and trained the largest post-graduate medical training program in the United States not associated with a medical university. In the 1990s, the Clinic Foundation was 2nd only to the state local, and federal government in terms of employment numbers in Cleveland. In 1987, the foundation opened up a second hospital in Fort Lauderdale, FL, known as Cleveland Clinic FL. Today, the Clinic has an excellent international reputation for its medical research, patient treatment, and educational commitment.