History of Clinical Chemistry in a Children’s Hospital (1914–1964)

AbstractThe historical development of a charitable children’s hospital and the evolution of its clinical laboratory are presented. With the appearance of practical quantitative blood chemistry tests in the period between the two World Wars, applications to pediatrics were hampered by the need for ultramicro procedures then unavailable and for improved skin-puncture blood sampling. World War II brought economic demands that forced the hospital to privatize its beds and to charge fee-for-services. In turn, this brought added income, allowing the hiring or subsidizing of a professional staff, including the clinical chemist. The development of ultramicro blood chemistry followed, along with improved skin-puncture technology.