The Gift of a Lifetime: The Hospital, Modern Medicine, and Mortality

Alex Hollingsworth (), Krzysztof Karbownik, Melissa Thomasson () and Anthony Wray

No 30663, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: We explore how access to modern hospitals and medicine affects mortality by leveraging efforts of The Duke Endowment to modernize hospitals in the early-twentieth century. The Endowment helped communities build and expand hospitals, obtain state-of-the-art medical technology, attract qualified medical personnel, and refine management practices. We find that Duke support increased the size and quality of the medical sector, fostering growth in not-for-profit hospitals and high-quality physicians. Duke funding reduced both infant mortality - with larger effects for Black infants than White infants - and long-run mortality. Finally, we find that communities aided by Duke benefited more from medical innovations.

JEL-codes: I14 J13 N32 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022-11
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hea, nep-his and nep-lab
Note: CH DAE EH
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Published as Alex Hollingsworth & Krzysztof Karbownik & Melissa A. Thomasson & Anthony Wray, 2024. "The Gift of a Lifetime: The Hospital, Modern Medicine, and Mortality," American Economic Review, vol 114(7), pages 2201-2238.

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Related works:
Journal Article: The Gift of a Lifetime: The Hospital, Modern Medicine, and Mortality (2024)
Working Paper: The Gift of a Lifetime: The Hospital, Modern Medicine, and Mortality (2022)
Working Paper: The Gift of a Lifetime: The Hospital, Modern Medicine, and Mortality (2022)
Working Paper: The Gift of a Lifetime: The Hospital, Modern Medicine, and Mortality (2022)
Working Paper: The Gift of a Lifetime: The Hospital, Modern Medicine, and Mortality (2022)
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