Children’s Memorial Hospital of Chicago

In 1886, the state-of-the-art surgery room of Truman W. Miller, MD, in Chicago’s first children’s hospital had no electric lights, no antibiotics, limited equipment, and only the most rudimentary anesthesia. This renowned surgeon served on a voluntary basis as president of an all-volunteer medical staff from 1882 to 1900. The hospital opened in 1882 as an eight-bed cottage in Lincoln Park, when pediatrics was in its infancy. It was at the forefront then, and it continues to be among the country’s best. For over a century, it was called Children’s Memorial Hospital, and it was renamed Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago in 2012, when it moved to a 288-bed facility in the heart of the city. The hospital’s history reflects the steady advances in pediatrics, propelled by visionary individuals, pioneering clinicians, and the community–all dedicated to the care and well-being of children.