Sloane Hospital for Women

The Sloane Hospital for Women is the

The hospital soon established a reputation for superior sanitary practices and low mortality rates. It was originally created on the basis of free obstetrical care for underprivileged, but due to increasing fees the endowment of the Sloane Family could not cover all the costs. In 1897, an alternate policy was created that required patients to pay medical costs and extra fees for special accommodations, such as a private room.[1] If the applicant for admission could not afford the care, they were admitted for free. ^{[citation needed]} 

Edwin Cragin, the second director of the hospital, began linking the training and treatment of obstetrics with gynecology.^[2] In 1910, the facility changed its name to Sloane Hospital for Women. In 1911, a new surgical building was added, also funded by the Sloanes.^[3]

In 1925, Sloane became part of

The Sloane Maternity Hospital was created to focus on obstetrical care and referred all gynecological patients to the Vanderbilt Clinic. Dr. McLane recorded the early obstetrical care at Sloane Maternity Hospital in his report "Report on the First Series of One Thousand Successive Confinements from January 1st, 1888 to October 1st, 1890 at Sloane Maternity Hospital."^[1] The hospital implemented the use of carbolic acid to clean the lying-in wards and banned the use of straw beds to create sanitary conditions for patients. Delivery consisted of rectal anema and vaginal douche before the birth, delivery of the baby while the mother was on her side, and another vaginal douche after the placenta was delivered.^[1] After birth, maternal care consisted of vaginal sutures with silk worm gut, a transfusion of ergot to prevent bleeding, and bed rest for 9 days after delivery.^[1] Of the first 1000 deliveries performed at the hospital, only six resulted in maternal death, two of which were attributed to placenta praevia.^[1] The procedures performed in the first 1000 cases were 12 inductions of labor, 83 deliveries with forceps, 14 cases of version, 3 cases of craniotomy, and 14 treatments of postpartum hemorrhage.^[1]

Case histories of early obstetrical care at Sloane Maternity Hospital include a patient delivering a child with

Theodore Gaillard Thomas worked at the women's hospital and was a pioneer surgeon that focused on women's reproduction issues. Thomas's surgical work at this hospital led to the development of obstetric surgical instruments and new gynecological operations, such extraperitoneal cesarean section and the removal of ovarian tumors “per viginam.”[1] James W. McLane also developed an important obstetric instrument, Tucker-McLane forceps. The first time the Tucker- McLane forceps were used was at the Sloane Maternity Hospital in 1891 and they continued to be in Sloane Maternity Hospital practice for 30 years.^[1]

As a research and clinical facility, the Sloane Hospital for Women pioneered advances in the field, including the