Turning back the pages...

The history of the U.S. Marine Hospital is filled with remarkable challenges, accomplishments and personalities. Looking through our back pages reveals the important role the hospital had in our community’s medical history, river heritage and architectural character.

On this page you'll find some interesting stories from our past.

  
     
 
 
 
GLIMPSES OF THE PAST:
The U.S. Marine Hospital in the 1870s

For five years following the Civil War, the U.S. Marine Health Service ceased active operations. At the War’s outbreak, the MHS operated 28 hospitals across the nation, but during the conflict most had been shut down to serve as war hospitals. Up until this time, the Marine Hospital Service had been a loose organization, without central control, since each operated as an independent facility. In 1861, Louisville’s Marine Hospital ceased serving boatmen and began treating wounded Union soldiers.

One of the great accomplishments of the administration of President Ulysses S. Grant was a complete renovation of the Marine Hospital Service. Under Grant, the Service was organized on a semi-military basis, with central command under the newly-created post of Surgeon General of the United States. A hierarchy was created with physicians given the rank of Surgeon. The service was standardized nation-wide and greater emphasis was placed on physicians’ training and qualifications, science-based treatment of patients, and a growing awareness of the

importance of hygiene and nutrition. A national health library was established and enormous improvements in patient care were achieved.

An important advancement in the Marine Hospital Service was the introduction of equal healthcare access to African-Americans engaged in maritime commerce. Of the three wards located in Louisville’s U.S. Marine Hospital’s upper two floors, one was given over to African-American patients, who constituted approximately one-third of the steamboat crews. While the wards were racially segregated, both the “White” and “Colored” patients received the same high standards of care.

Local newspapers from that era provide a glimpse into the operation of the Marine Hospital Service and give an idea of the need of the hospital in Louisville. Within a very few years, the U.S. Marine Hospital in Louisville served more patients than the St. Louis and New Orleans hospitals combined. It had become the busiest Marine Hospital in America.

Newspaper Clippings:
27 May 1870
Courier-Journal
At present there are 32 white and 58 colored patients in the U.S. Marine Hospital on High street, a larger number than ever before at any one time.

Louisville Commercial
1 January 1871
United States Marine Hospital
It may not be known to many who are entitled to the benefits of the United States Marine Hospital in this city, that the law provides that all persons who find a livelihood on the river, lakes, or seas, from the captain to the stoker and roustabout (all classed as seamen), when sick or disabled, are entitled to care and treatment in the hospital free of charge. To gain admission into the hospital a certificate from the officer of the boat, or any other reasonable proof of the man’s occupation, presented at the office of Mr. Luse, the surveyor of the port, will insure his card of admission. During the year 1,466 patients were admitted, 27 of whom died.

The following is the official report of the surgeon of the hospital for December (1870):

NUMBER OF PATIENTS REMAINING LAST DAY OF NOVEMBER (1870)
Whites………………………51
Colored……………………..44
Total………………...95

ADMITTED DURING THE MONTH
Whites………………………84
Colored……………………..46
Total………………...130
No. patients remaining and admitted….225

DISCHARGED DURING THE MONTH
Whites………………………60
Colored……………………..33
Total………………...93

DIED DURING THE MONTH
Whites………………………3
Colored……………………..2
Total………………...5

REMAINING THE LAST DAY OF THE MONTH
Whites……………………..77
Colored……………………50
Total……………….127

T.J. Griffith Surgeon in charge, 363 West Jefferson Street, between Ninth and Tenth

Louisville Commercial
1 January 1871
Wm. Trice, a colored deck-hand on the steamer United States, had his knee crushed with a hogshead of tobacco yesterday, while assisting in loading He was taken to the Marine Hospital. The limb will probably have to be amputated.

Louisville Commercial
8 January 1871
George C. Smith, formerly a roustabout on the steamer N. J. Bigler, was taken to the United States Marine Hospital on Friday, suffering from mania-a-potu and exposure, and died yesterday. John Moss, a river man, formerly on the Tarascon, was taken to the same hospital with frozen feet. The stoppage of the boats on the river has thrown a number of men out of employment who take no care of themselves, and drink to

stupor, when they lie down on the streets, and before they are picked up are half frozen, and receive injuries from which they die.

Louisville Commercial
10 January 1871
Barry Tallman, formerly of the steamer Mary Huston, had his foot crushed yesterday, and was sent to the United States Marine Hospital.

Louisville Commercial
25 January 1871
Henry Thompson had his feet terribly scalded by the playfulness of the cook on the steamer Shannon. George Winn, while rolling a hogshead of tobacco on the Morning Star, had his leg crushed. Both Thompson and Winn were sent to the United States Marine Hospital.

Louisville Commercial
31 January 1871
Wm. Fuller, who has run as a pilot on the Western rivers for a quarter of a century, and who was for many years past a pilot between Cincinnati and Maysville, died at the Marine Hospital yesterday of dropsy. He had been operated upon three times, each time feeling great relief, but the disease finally caused his death.

Louisville Commercial
13 August 1871
The U.S. Marine Hospital A religious order of the Catholic Church, known as the Sisters of Mercy, has had the management of the United States Marine Hospital, in this city, for more than two years, and have again re-leased it for a term of years. Dr. Thomas J. Griffiths remaining as surgeon in charge. When the Sisters took the hospital they started with eight patients, and now it averages nearly one hundred marine patients, besides a number of private patients. The management of the hospital has been such that sick marines from the Western rivers and lakes have been sent to it for treatment. The discipline in the hospital has been equal to any naval hospital in the country, and has met with the favorable notice of the Treasury Department. The duties of the surgeon in charge have been so largely increased that Dr. Griffiths has been authorized by the department to employ an assistant, and has appointed Dr. Oliver H. Luse, a young gentleman of great promise, who graduated last winter at one of the medical schools of this city.

We congratulate Dr. Luse on his rapid progress in his profession, and believe that Dr. Griffiths will find in him a faithful, energetic and capable assistant. Seventeen Sisters of Mercy now comprise the force, performing all the duties of the management of the hospital, which has become in two years the most prominent Government hospital west of the mountains. 		To accommodate the large increase of patients, additions will be made to the hospital, and water-pipes will be extended through the building. We are justly proud of this institution in our midst, and feel that it can take rank with any naval hospital in the country.

17 February 1872
Courier-Journal
Woman in the Marine Hospital Mary Jane Grant, a colored chamber-maid, was admitted yesterday to the United States Marine Hospital from the steamer Camelia. She is the only female that has applied for admission to that institution within three years. The managers, however, extend a welcome to all “marines,” whether they are black or white, foreign or domestic, Federal or Confederate. The Sisters of Mercy have charge there and are ever ready and willing to nurse suffering humanity, wheresoever and in whomsoever they find it.

4 February 1876
Courier-Journal
The U.S. Marine Hospital With the 1st of January the lease of the Sisters of Mercy on the United States Marine Hospital, in this city, expired, and the Government took charge of the building, turning it into a class one of marine hospitals. It had belonged to class two, which is composed of all hospitals leased by the Government. The Sisters of Mercy have been in charge of the Marine Hospital in this city since 1869, and have conducted it in an excellent manner. Hereafter it will be under the control of Dr. Tom Griffiths, the surgeon and his assistant, Dr. W. H. Long, who will, through Col. Luse, surveyor of customs, furnish all the supplies and employ the persons necessary to the establishment. Three of the Sisters of Mercy have been retained for nurses and other purposes. The Marine Hospital is one of the largest in the country and adds many thousand dollars per year to the coffers of Louisville people. The surgeon and his assistant are gentlemen well known in the community, and thoroughly able to take care of the establishment. Louisville City Hospital Preston and Chestnut Streets.

REPORT ON LOUISVILLE’S PUBLIC HEALTH:
Two Hospitals Serve More than 100,000 citizens In 1870, the population of Louisville, Kentucky reached 101,000 for the first time. Despite this large population, only two medical facilities existed. The U.S. Marine Hospital (located in the Portland community) served boatmen and federal employees. The Louisville City Hospital (originally known as the Louisville Marine Hospital) cared for the general public. 		Located at Preston and Chestnut streets, the City Hospital admitted only white patients. Then, as now, the building also served as a teaching hospital and was associated with the University of Louisville School of Medicine.

Mortuary Report
The following is the mortuary report for the Week ending December 31, 1870:

LOUISVILLE, KY. HEALTH OFFICE
December 31, 1870
Accident ...2
Bronchitis ...1
Consumption ...5
Congestion of brain ...1
Convulsions ...2
Colic ...1
Croup ...2
Delirium Tremens ...1
Fever, puerperal ...1
Fever, typhoid ...1
Gun-shot wound ...1
Knife wound ...1
Old age ...2
Paralysis ...1
Pneumonia ...2
Premature birth ...1
Rheumatism ...2
Scrofula ...1
Still born ...5
Teething ...1
Trismus ...1
Unknown ...
TOTAL ...37

SEX
Male ...24
Female ...13

COLOR
White ...23
Black ...14

AGE
Under 3 years ...15
3-6 years ...1
6-10 years ...0
10-20 years ...3
20-30 years ...5
30-40 years ...3
40-50 years ...4
50-60 years ...3
60-70 years ...0
70 and over ...3

NATIVITY America, 27; Ireland, 5; Germany, 3; England, 1; Scotland, 1
Eastern District ...23
Western District ...14
Without medical attention ...7

C.B. Blackburn, M.D.
Secretary, Board of Health


Coroner’s Report
Sept. 5 through December 31, 1870
Suicide from poison, male 1, female 1 ...2
Suicide from hanging ...1
Bursting blood-vessel ...3
Crushed to death in clay-bank, white 1, colored 1 ...2
Drowned, male 4, female 1, white 4, colored 1 ...5
Run over by wagon ...1
Run over by street-car, white 1, colored 1 ...2
Heart disease, males 5, females 3, whites, 7, colored 1 ...8
Old age, males 1, females 1 ...2
Intemperance, males 2, females 1, white 2, colored 1 ...3
Infanticide, males 3, females 2; white 1, colored 4 ...5
Murdered, males 7, white 5, colored 2 ...7
Skull fractured while blasting rock ...2
Falling in pit ...1
Burning, females 2, white 1, colored 1 ...2
Falling and breaking neck ...2
Concussion of brain ...2
Kicked by mule ...1
Causes known, white 1, colored 2 ...3
By explosion of boiler ...1
Total ...55

LOUISVILLE CITY HOSPITAL
Report of pay and charity patients admitted, discharged, died and born at Louisville City Hospital during the month of December 1870:
No. patients remaining November 30, 1870 ..118
No. patients admitted during December, 1870 ...94
TOTAL ...212
No. patients discharged ...60
No. patients died ...8
No. patients remaining December 31, 1871 ...144
TOTAL ...212
No. dispensary patients prescribed for and medicines furnished ...100
No. children born ...4

Mrs. E. H. Geary, Superintendent



Dr. David J. Griffiths (1830-1885)

   The Griffiths Brothers
U.S. Marine Hospital’s Surgeons-in-Charge

       In the period following the Civil War, the U.S. Marine Hospital at Louisville was commanded by three remarkable local physicians. Dr. David, Dr. Thomas, and Dr. George Washington Griffiths each served as Surgeon-in-Charge of the maritime hospital.
       Natives of Wales, the Griffiths family moved to America in 1841. All three brothers studied medicine in Louisville and each established popular and successful medical practices. Ardent Unionists, at the outbreak of the Civil War, each made their contributions to the war effort and to medical service in Louisville.
       The Portland neighborhood recognized their contributions to the community by naming Griffiths Avenue, just a few blocks south of Portland Avenue, to honor their service.
       Medical service, and a commitment to the Marine Hospital, was a family tradition. In later years, Dr. William Griffiths, a son of Dr. George W., also became a physician at our hospital.

 

    
       Dr. David J. Griffiths held the important position of Medical Director for General Philip Sheridan’s Division of the Army of the Cumberland and the Army of the Potomac. He earned a reputation as one of the finest surgeons in the U.S. Army, and was a trusted and important part of Sheridan’s command.
       Dr. David’s heath was shattered by exposure and the stress of the War and he retired in late 1864. In 1869, he was named Surgeon-in-Charge of the Louisville U.S. Marine Hospital and was given the responsibility of re-opening the hospital. Our hospital was closed in 1863, and boatmen were transferred to the old Louisville Marine Hospital. Dr. David Griffiths, and the Sisters of Mercy, opened the hospital and began to again serve boatmen.
       He only served in this position for three months, when he became paralyzed and blind. He was forced to retire and lived his life as an invalid. At the end of his life, he lived as a patient in the hospital he helped resurrect.		  


PHOTO Courtesy of Cynthia Tesser

Dr. David J. Griffiths is shown standing at far right of the photo.
Seated in front row (second from left) is Major General William Rosecrans, commander of the Army of the Cumberland.
To his right side is Gen. Philip Sheridan, who would soon take over command of the Cumberland Army following the Battle of Stones River.
     


PHOTO courtesy of Cynthia Teller

Dr. David J. Griffiths
(standing on left), and his brother
Dr. Thomas J. Griffiths (seated),
are shown with Dr. Peck.
This is the only known photo
of Dr. Thomas Griffiths.

   Dr. Thomas Griffiths
(1826-1884)

       Dr. Thomas Jones Griffiths took over command of the U.S. Marine Hospital after illness forced the retirement of Dr. David Griffiths in 1869. Dr. Thomas would become the hospital’s most important medical professional and set the direction for decades of health care service.
       During the Civil War, Dr. Thomas remained a civilian and served as supervising physician for several Louisville military hospitals. At the peak of the war effort, Louisville hosted 21 General Military Hospitals, including the very large 800 bed hospital at Parks Barracks, on the future campus of the University of Louisville.
       Working with the Sisters of Mercy, Dr. Thomas Griffiths made the hospital in Louisville the largest of all inland marine facilities. At his retirement in 1877, our hospital served more patients annually than those in St. Louis and New Orleans combined.

Dr. George Washington Griffiths
(1840-1908)
       The youngest of the Griffiths brothers, Dr. George W. found his medical studies interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War. He served with great distinction as Captain of the Second Kentucky Cavalry. Wounded at Chickamauga, and later captured, he was exchanged and served until the end of the War.
       At the end of the War, he was offered a commission as First Lieutenant in the Seventh Cavalry by General Ulysses S. Grant. He declined the commission and returned to medical studies. As a result, he was not serving with Gen. Custer when his command was destroyed at the Little Big Horn.
       Dr. George W. became a prominent Louisville physician and served as Surgeon at the Marine Hospital. He also served as President of the Louisville Board of Aldermen for twelve years and chief physician for the L&N railroad. His son, Dr. William Griffiths, continued the family tradition and served in the Marine Hospital.
 
 

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