Pennsylvania Hospital

Pennsylvania Hospital is a medical facility in Center City, Philadelphia, that combines modern treatment with historic architecture. The complex includes an old operating room with a glass ceiling and a library where manuscripts and medical works from the 18th century are kept.

Benjamin Franklin and Dr. Thomas Bond founded the hospital in 1751 as the first of its kind for the general public in the American colonies. The operating room was added in 1804 to give students a chance to observe surgical procedures directly.

The institution preserves instruments and documents from colonial times, showing visitors how medicine was practiced before modern technology arrived. Doctors from many countries come here to study the collection of old textbooks and surgical tools, which are still used for research and training today.

The building is located in southeast Center City and is easy to reach on foot from the historic neighborhoods around Independence Hall. Visitors can tour the historic sections while most floors remain in use for active patient care.

The room with the glass ceiling was designed so that daylight fell directly onto the operating table, because artificial light was not yet available at the time. Visitors today can see the wooden benches where students and colleagues watched the procedures while taking notes.