General Hospital

General Hospital. Entrance Facade. , Placed high above the towering main entrance, nine enrobed figures stand vigil and greet visitors to LAC+USC General Hospital and half-way up the building, three classically robed figures stand atop columns in window niches. , Completed concurrently with the building's construction in 1933, these 12 sculptures were designed by Italian-American artist Salvatore C. Scarpitta. Six of the statues represent important medical science innovators and researchers, and together, they symbolize nearly 2,500 years of Western medical science history. , Artist Salvatore Cartaino Scarpitta, 1887-1948. , Born in Palermo, Italy and immigrated to the United States in 1910. He worked primarily as a sculptor and received training at the Royal Italian Academy. While living in Los Angeles, Scarpitta also sculpted three panels above the entrance to the Los Angeles Stock Exchange for which he received a prize from the American Institute of Architects. , His other local works include sculptures at the Church of St. John the Evangelist, the Church of the Sacred Blood and the California Palace of the Legion of Honor. , Louis Pasteur, 1822-1895. , French chemist and microbiologist who was one of the most important founders of medical microbiology. He is remembered for his remarkable breakthroughs in the causes and preventions of diseases. , Andreas Vesalius, 1514-1564. , Flemish anatomist, physician, and author of one of the most influential books on human anatomy, De humani corporis fabrica (On the Structure of the Human Body). Vesalius is often referred to as the founder of modern human anatomy. , William Harvey, 1578-1657. , English physician, who described completely and in detail the systemic circulation and properties of blood being pumped to the body by the heart , though earlier writers had provided precursors of the theory. , Hippocrates of Kos, 460 BC - c.370 BC. , Ancient Greek physician of Classical Greece, and is considered one of the most outstanding figures in the history of medicine. He is referred to as the father of Western medicine. , Aelius Galenus, 129 AD - c.200/216 AD. , Roman physician, surgeon and philosopher. Arguably the most accomplished of all medical researchers of antiquity, Galen contributed greatly to the understanding of numerous disciplines, including anatomy, physiology, pathology, pharmacology, and neurology. , John Hunter, 1728-1793. , Scottish surgeon regarded as one of the most distinguished scientists and surgeons of his day. He was an early advocate of careful observation and scientific method in medicine. , Angel. , Possibly representing Raphael (an archangel who in the Judeo-Christian tradition performs all manners of healing). Her wings spread to shelter the weak and the needy who stand near her seat. , The symbolism is significant because the mission of the County Hospital is to provide care for those who cannot necessarily afford it, thereby benefitting the less fortunate and ensuring the well-being of Los Angeles County residents.