Massachusetts General Hospital
The third-oldest general hospital in the United States, designed by Charles Bulfinch — its first patient, a sailor, walked in on September 3, 1821.
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Founded in 1811 to serve Boston's poor at a time when wealthier patients were treated at home, Mass General became the birthplace of American hospital social work. The radiology department was built by Walter Dodd starting in 1895 — he died in 1916 from radiation-caused cancer after undergoing more than 50 operations on his own body. Today it runs the world's largest hospital-based research program at over $1.2 billion a year.
What to look for
- The original Bulfinch-designed building, commissioned from one of America's foremost architects when the hospital opened
- The West End neighborhood setting — the hospital was founded here in 1821 and has anchored the community ever since
- Any memorial or marker tied to the radiology department Walter Dodd built and sacrificed his life to — over 50 surgical procedures for radiation injuries
Working hospital in Boston's West End; confirm whether the historic Bulfinch building is accessible to visitors before making the trip.
Massachusetts General Hospital is one of 31 sights worth the detour in Boston, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Boston pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Boston
- Museum of Fine Arts BostonFour hundred and fifty thousand works of art under one roof — one of the most comprehensive collections in the Americas.
- TD GardenThe subway stops underneath it — TD Garden is built directly above MBTA's North Station, so you step off the train and you are already at the door.
- Harvard College ObservatoryOn the night of July 16-17, 1850, astronomers here made the first daguerreotype of a star — Vega — through a telescope that was the largest in North America.
- Fenway ParkThe oldest active ballpark in MLB, where a cramped city block accidentally invented some of baseball's most famous features.
- Isabella Stewart Gardner MuseumIn 1990, thieves walked out with thirteen works worth $500 million — none have ever come back, and the case is still open.
- Boston Public LibraryJohn Adams' personal 3,800-volume library lives here — and any Massachusetts adult can walk in and access it.