The history of West Suburban Hospital is grand, making its failure all the more tragic!
The hospital was founded by Northwestern physicians who realized that many of their well-endowed Chicago patients would prefer to be cared for in the pleasant suburb of Oak Park, rather than the tumultuous Chicago of a century ago.
For years after its founding, the attending physicians on Sunday rounds all wore full tuxedos, to attend to Marshall Field and other fabulous families!
At the beginning of the Second World War, the entire medical staff volunteered, but many were judged too old, and only the younger physicians were taken.
Many of those veterans, upon discharge, came back, and formed the corps of the hospital.
Therein lies a tale too complicated to address here, but the history of the place should not be forgotten!
I would hope that a renaissance is possible, but it looks unlikely.
I hope some talented writer undertakes to write a good historically correct article about the hospital, but it is probably unlikely.
Boone Brackett
President of the West Sub medical staff for many years
and the site of his orthopedic practice