Beaches

A Day at the Beach? Mothers at the Children’s Seashore House

Staff From our researchers, Out of the stacks February 25, 2019December 5, 2019Beaches, Children's health, Children's Seashore House, Fresh air treatment, Vacation

– by Meggie Crnic, Senior Lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania

As I carried the hefty, bound volumes to my research station, I wondered what stories they might reveal. Unwrapping the protective covers, I maneuvered a book to examine its spine. It was a Children’s Seashore House (CSH) patient log book from the 1920s.

From my previous research I knew that the CSH was a pediatric hospital in Atlantic City, NJ. It opened in 1872 to care for Philadelphia’s children who could not otherwise afford time at the seashore. The CSH was a beachfront institution where physicians used “marine medication,” to care for children with a range of pediatric disorders. At the hospital children experienced sea-air, sea-water, and sun bathing as their therapies. Elite medical research supported marine medication and prominent physicians on both sides of the Atlantic prescribed patients time at the shore. The belief in the curative and restorative powers of marine environments transcended national, cultural, religious, and class boundaries. It also gave rise to a vast network of pediatric seashore hospitals in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries.

Atlantic City as a winter resort

Staff #TravelTuesday February 5, 2019January 2, 2019Beaches, Health resorts, Winter

This month we are heading down to Atlantic City, New Jersey. Atlantic City has been known as a summertime resort since it was incorporated in 1854. The first hotel was the Belloe house, built in 1853, and has been home to the Miss American Pageant. The city was the inspiration for the board game Monopoly.

Many of us may know Atlantic City as a summertime resort, but did you know it also advertised itself as a winter resort for its “sanitary effect upon diseases and invalids?”

Florida

Staff #TravelTuesday July 3, 2018July 16, 2018Beaches, Florida, Health resorts, Medical trade ephemera, Vacation

This month we are visiting Florida! Florida has had a large tourist industry and has been a popular place for resorts because of its year-long warmth and coastal views of the ocean since the early 20th century. In both summer and winter Florida, became an escape for the sickness and bustle of the city for those afflicted with chronic conditions like rheumatism and nervousness or those with tuberculosis.

Dr. E.M. Hale of Chicago promised Florida as a “Favored region for neurasthenics…broken down in mind and body from the intense strain of business and social demands of the Northern States.” A favored spot was the southwest gulf coast, which tended to get more breezes, making for a more comfortable climate. The pleasant climate leads to a greater number of fruits and vegetables at lower costs than you may see in colder states.

Avon-by-the-Sea

Staff #TravelTuesday June 5, 2018June 4, 2018Beaches, Health resorts, Medical trade ephemera, New Jersey, Shore, Vacation

Are you still unsure of where to go for summer vacation? The Medical Trade Ephemera Collection at The Historical Medical Library may have some suggestions for you! Enjoy our suggestions over the next few months!

This month we are going to look at the New Jersey shore destination, Avon-by-the-Sea, often called simply “Avon” by locals. The Jersey Shore became a popular Victorian vacation spot for visitors from both Philadelphia and New York City. By 1878, Long Branch, Asbury Park, and Ocean Grove drew people to the beach every summer.