mercy

Episode 99: Plain Hell: The St. Elizabeth’s Hospital Fire of 1950

In the early hours of January 7, 1950, flames illuminated the night sky around Mercy Hospital. An orderly was one of the first to see a mental hospital on the grounds engulfed in fire, but he would be far from the last. By the next morning, it would be one of the worst hospital fires […]

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Episode 91: Why Did Amelia Rohwedder Jump from Her Hospital Window?

Amelia Rohwedder was a middle-aged woman recovering from heart problems. Without reason or warning, she jumped from her fourth-floor window. Why?   Sources The History of Genesis Health System and its Predecessor Organizations. http://www.genesishealth.com/about/timeline. Harlan, Edgar Rubey. A Narrative History of the People of Iowa, Vol. III Chicago: American Historical Society, 1931. Sister Condon, Mary

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Why Did Amelia Rohwedder Jump from Her Hospital Window?

After the American Civil War, Davenport, Iowa was a rapidly growing city full of a population still recovering from the trials and tribulations of that terrible conflict. Many veterans had returned home, either going back to the families that they had left or eager to start one. Some farmed, others started businesses, and still others

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