The document discusses the creation and history of the New York Academy of Medicine, founded in 1847 during a time of public health crises in New York City. The Academy was established to address issues like widespread infections, high infant and maternal mortality rates. It helped improve the city's healthcare through initiatives such as establishing a public medical library and encouraging public health education. The organization's founding ultimately led New York to create sanitation and public health departments and standardized practices like disease tracking that improved urban healthcare across the United States.

1. CREATION OFTHE
NEWYORK
ACADEMY OF
MEDICINE
Mitchell Blutt

2. Introduction
■ For more than 30 years, Mitchell Blutt, MD, has been a professor atWeill
Cornell Medical College in NewYork, and he has worked with healthcare
investment organizations for that time as well. Dr. Mitchell Blutt is affiliated
with the NewYork Academy of Medicine, a healthcare and public health
organization which has served NewYork City for nearly 175 years.
The NewYork Academy of Medicine was founded in 1847, during a time of
turmoil in urban medicine and public health. Infections were common, many
children died in their first year of life, and women often died in childbirth. The
Academy was established to take steps to address these issues, and its efforts
included the creation of a public library to serve medical professionals as well
as to encourage public health education.
The establishment of this organization led to many rapid changes in NewYork's
healthcare environment. The city created sanitation and public health
departments, innovations which became standard in cities nationwide. They
also began the practice of tracking births and deaths in the city, eventually
resulting in the creation of the office of the medical examiner.