ably the first organized charity in the City of Pittsburgh 
In 1848 the “Pittsburgh Poor House” at Homestead was 
incorporated, for the care of the indigent poor of Pittsburgh, 
and in 1879 the city first began to care for its mentally ill at 
the Homestead institution. In 1893 the Pittsburgh Homes 
and Hospitals were built at Mayview, comprising at that 
time an administration building, a male and female asylum 
for the indigent insane and a male and female home for the 
indigent poor. Since then many additions have been made 
and at this time—1928—there are eleven new buildings 
under construction, as authorized by the “Two and a Half 
Million Dollar Bond Issue of 1926.” 
The function of the Pittsburgh City Home and Hospitals 
consists of four radically different types of services: First, 
hospitals for the mentally ill; second, homes for the indigent 
and aged; third, a tuberculosis group; fourth, a general 
hospital. 
The mental hospitals are caring for 2114 patients at the 
present time,—1203 men and 911 women, and comprise four 
large buildings, two buildings assigned for the male cases and 
two for the female cases. The medical treatment provided 
in the mental department is of the same high type as that 
carried on in several State hospitals, owned and maintained 
by the State of Pennsylvania. When the new buildings are 
completed and further contemplated additions are made, 
{including a psychiatric hospital) we believe this institution 
will rank among the first in the country. 
The general hospital of 240 beds is carrying on a work 
identical to that carried on in any general hospital in the 
city, comprising as it does operating rooms, diagnostic 
olinics, an X-Ray department, mechano-therapy, eye, ear, 
nose and throat clinics,—in fact all of the special treatments 
which go to make up a complete hospital. Much of the 
splendid work done in this hospital is due to the very valu- 
able services rendered by nineteen of Pittsburgh’s foremost 
physicans who give their services without recompense to this 
great work. 
An accredited nurses’ training school functions as a part 
of the hospital and is valuable adjunct to the institution.