Historical Review: First Facial Pain Patient Admitted to Massachusetts General Hospital, February 1823 and First Case Series

Founded in 1811, the Massachusetts General Hospital recently celebrated its bicentennial. The War of 1812 delayed construction of the building so the first patient actually was admitted to the hospital 10 years later, on September 3, 1821. By 1823, the 60 hospital beds were full. Patient 66 was admitted on February 28, 1823, and his hospital course, as described in the admissions book, was transcribed for the Massachusetts General Hospital bicentennial celebration. That case history is reproduced and a case series of 6 similar patients published in 1828 by Dr John Warren, surgeon-in-chief and a founder of the hospital, is presented. In this report, the authors comment on the diagnosis, treatment, and outcome of these patients in the context of the contemporaneous health care environment and in light of the current knowledge of facial pain disorders. This article was adapted from the authors' commentary for the bicentennial celebration.