History

The Sloane Maternity Hospital opened in 1887 as New York City's first medical facility dedicated to women's health. It was created with a benefaction from William D. Sloane and his wife, Emily Thorn Sloane, the granddaughter of Cornelius Vanderbilt. The goal was to endow a modern institution to treat women and educate midwives and obstetricians. The facility became a model for excellent obstetric care. The Sloanes' legacy lives on in today's Sloane Hospital for Women, which has embarked on its second century of leadership in obstetrics and gynecology.

The Sloane Maternity Hospital opened in 1887 as New York City's first medical facility dedicated to women's health. It was created with a benefaction from William D. Sloane and his wife, Emily Thorn Sloane, the granddaughter of Cornelius Vanderbilt. The goal was to endow a modern institution to treat women and educate midwives and obstetricians. The facility became a model for excellent obstetric care. The Sloanes' legacy lives on in today's Sloane Hospital for Women, which has embarked on its second century of leadership in obstetrics and gynecology.

The Sloane Maternity Hospital set a new standard for obstetrics when it opened in 1887. It featured small, scrupulously clean wards, skillful nursing, use of antiseptics, and a "lavish supply of fresh air," which resulted in low mortality rates, even in high-risk pregnancies.

Sloane made the first of several moves, creating critically needed additional space and new operating rooms. Under the two-decade leadership of Dr. Edwin Bradford Cragin, who became director in 1898, Sloane became the first hospital in the United States to link obstetrics with gynecology.

Sloane's name was changed to The Sloane Hospital for Women. A New York State Board of Charities inspector reported: "There is no maternity hospital in New York City which begins to compare with Sloane in size, building or appointments. It is maintained in excellent order, and is run...with much of the perfection of a machine."

Sloane Hospital became an integral part of the newly created Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, and now accommodated both obstetrics and gynecological patients.

Sloane physicians William E. Caldwell, Howard C. Moloy, and D. Anthony D'Esopo received the American Medical Association's first prize for research, for their studies on the morphology of the female pelvis and the mechanism of labor.

Dr. Howard C. Taylor became Sloane's fifth director. In the nearly twenty years of his tenure, tremendous progress was made in understanding childbirth and women's illnesses. Dr. Virginia Apgar created a simple scoring system to evaluate the physical status of newborns that is used to this day.

Drs. John Gorman and Vincent Freda developed Rhogam, the vaccine that allows women with Rh-negative blood to deliver healthy Rh-positive babies. Dr. Freda also introduced amniocentesis.

Dr. Raymond Vande Wiele became Sloane Hospital's director. He launched many initiatives, including genetics counseling, increased use of amniocentesis in detecting birth defects, and a regional perinatal network to serve pregnant women considered at high risk. He also added a new perinatal center that included ultrasound and biophysical monitoring units.

New York's first in vitro fertilization clinic opened at Sloane Hospital, under the direction of Drs. Georgiana M. Jagiello and Vande Wiele.

Sloane is continuing its legacy of leadership with new advances in minimal access surgery, treatments for menopause, new options for infertility, high-risk pregnancies and a state-of-the-art ultrasound and fetal diagnostic center.