Walter Reed General Hospital

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Walter Reed Army Medical Center. (Discuss)

Named in honor of the celebrated U.S. Army physician and researcher Major Walter Reed, MD after his untimely death due to appendicitis in 1902, the Walter Reed General Hospital (WRGH) opened in northern Washington, D.C. on May 1, 1909. Ten patients were admitted on the first day.

The Walter Reed General Hospital (building with cupola in distance at far left) in September, 1919.

In 1923, General John J. Pershing signed the War Department order creating the Army Medical Center (i.e., WRGH and surrounding facilities).

WRGH was the precursor of the present Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC), which opened in a large new facility on the same campus in 1977. It is also, therefore , a precursor for the projected Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC), to be opened by September 2011 in Bethesda, Maryland.

The original WRGH is used for administrative purposes and is designated "Building 1" on the present WRAMC campus.