Floating Hospital’s history as a pioneer in pediatric care began with the Reverend Rufus B. Tobey, a kind-hearted Congregational minister who was struck by the sight of indigent women and their sick children enjoying cool ocean breezes on Boston's waterfront on sweltering summer evenings. Health care at the time had few means of therapy and fewer cures, but many believed in the cleansing and therapeutic qualities of sea air to ward off poor health and specific diseases.
To help families, Tobey proposed taking sick babies and their mothers for a day's outing on Boston harbor. The Boston Herald reported Tobey's suggestion and the story brought in a flood of donations to help make it a reality. On July 25th, 1894, the Boston Floating Hospital was born on a rented boat named the "Clifford." Each day, babies received needed therapy, mothers learned how to care for and feed their children safely, and patients, parents, doctors, nurses, volunteers and crew enjoyed the "beneficial harbor breezes." For 33 years the hospital offered medical care for sick children while cruising Boston harbor.
Teaching and Innovative Research Begin
The Floating Hospital quickly responded to the growing need to train medical and pediatric nursing students. A 170-foot ship was built at the Atlantic Works Wharf in Boston in 1906, enabling the establishment of a larger inpatient hospital, as well as an intensive on-board training and research institute for pediatrics.
Floating Hospital established a reputation for making substantial contributions to the knowledge of childhood diseases. Prior to the development of milk pasteurization in 1921, many children suffered from gastroenteritis, popularly known as "summer diarrhea," caused by milk that had spoiled in the summer heat. Noted milk chemist Dr. Alfred Bosworth, who maintained that human milk was superior to whole cow's milk for feeding infants, tirelessly researched formulas in his laboratory on the ship in the summer. He developed the formula known today as Similac®, which has since nourished millions of infants world wide. Meanwhile, Dr. Francis Denny pioneered the human "milk bank" at Floating Hospital, supplying stored human breast milk with which to feed sick infants.
On-shore Operations Broaden
In the 1920's Floating Hospital created an on-shore facility for research and some clinical specialties. It also began its affiliations with Tufts University School of Medicine and Tufts Medical Center's predecessor, the Boston Dispensary, which was founded in 1796.
The Floating Hospital ship was destroyed by fire in the spring of 1927; fortunately, no patients were aboard. Rather than rebuild the ship, the trustees decided to expand the on-shore program. In 1931, the Jackson Memorial Building opened at the hospital's current site, and Floating Hospital became a year-round facility with ongoing research activities.
Embarking on an Exciting Future
Floating Hospital officially merged with Tufts Medical Center in 1965, but it remains the Floating Hospital, with its own identity and rich, historic tradition. Today, Floating Hospital for Children is a major academic medical institution with innovative programs in clinical care, biomedical research, education, and health care delivery. It offers a full range of inpatient and outpatient services in every area of pediatric specialization, and is the principal pediatric teaching and research institution for Tufts University School of Medicine. The Hospital is a unique resource for the health and well-being of the children of Boston, New England, and the world.