The Father of Clinical Medicine - Thomas Bond
Thomas Bond helped create many institutions in Philadelphia which put the city in a situation where declaring independence was an option.
Of all the organizations Bond created, the most important was the Pennsylvania Hospital.
His work here earned him the moniker ‘The Father of Clinical Medicine.’
Thomas Bond
When Thomas Bond came of age in Philadelphia, he had already made an acquaintance with Benjamin Franklin.
These two young men became fast friends, a relationship which would help grow the city of Philadelphia into one of the most important in the British colonies by the time of the American Revolution.
These two would form several organizations together, including the American Philosophical Society and the University of Pennsylvania.
The most notable creation of these two men was the Pennsylvania Hospital.
Pennsylvania Hospital
The Pennsylvania Hospital was Thomas Bond’s brainchild, though he needed the deep pockets of his friend Franklin to pay for the operation.
Based off institutions which Bond had seen while studying in Europe, the Pennsylvania Hospital was created to assist the general public in Philadelphia. Specifically, the goal was to provide medical coverage for those citizens who could not otherwise afford it.
Additionally, the Hospital was used to train students in the practice of medicine.
The Father of Clinical Medicine
While donating his time at the Hospital, Thomas Bond developed new techniques in several different areas.
These innovations include changes to amputations, kidney and bladder stone removals, and setting broken bones (the Bond Splint is named for him).
Furthermore, certain correspondence he kept indicate that he experimented with opium as a pain reliever. This would be a precursor to morphine.
These efforts have earned Thomas the title of Father of Clinical Medicine.
Revolutionary
When the Revolutionary War broke out, Bond was already in his 60’s.
This did not stop him from helping the best way he knew how...medicine.
Bond sat on Pennsylvania’s Committee of Safety before assisting in the creation of the Continental Army’s medical unit by setting up some of the first hospitals for wounded soldiers.
Additionally, while Ben Franklin was away in France, Thomas cared for his ailing wife, Deborah, in her final days.
Franklin wasn’t the only doctor to participate in the American Revolution.
Check out these Founding Physicians:
Dr. Benjamin Rush - The Founder of American Psychiatry
Nathaniel Scudder - The Doctor Who Died in Battle
David Hosack Hears Shots Fired
Medicine at the end of the 18th Century was quickly changing.
To learn more about the period Bond was operating in, check out ‘Medicine and the American Revolution'.
If you’d like a copy you can get one through the Amazon affiliate link below (you’ll support this site, but don’t worry, Amazon pays me while your price stays the same).
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