“The work of the clinical teacher is healing, teaching, and research, in that order. These three functions are interdependent and to some extent inseparable; there is ample evidence that the best patient care is accomplished only in situations where both teaching and research are also of high quality. Clinical experience with graded responsibility, the primary essential of graduate training, is made possible for the abundant clinical material at a large county hospital such as Meyer Memorial Hospital.” –Roswell K. Brown, M.D., “The Good Surgical Residency” Day School for Crippled Children bus, Meyer Memorial Hospital, 1944. Photo courtesy of the Buffalo History Museum, used by permission. Nursing classroom instruction, Meyer Memorial Hospital, 1950. Meyer Memorial Hospital ambulances and drivers, 1940. Photo courtesy of the Buffalo History Museum, used by permission. 28 Meyer Memorial Hospital 1939-1978 In 1946, control of the hospital passed from the City of Buffalo to Erie County. As the county hospital, it was considered a general hospital because all patients were admitted regardless of the nature of their illness. And it was a public hospital because it accepted those patients regardless of their ability to pay. That same year, a new alcoholism clinic opened led by Dr. David K. Miller, who also conducted an extensive research program at Meyer Memorial. Underwritten by the E.J. Meyer Fund for Research, it was the largest clinical experimental center between New York City and the Midwest. Meanwhile, in the Outpatient Department, forty specialty clinics met 100 times weekly to care for patients through over 100,000 visits each year. The hospital’s Social Service Department was opened in this decade with the mission of contributing to patients’ total care through assistance in non-medical problems and concerns. Among their other duties, the staff helps families to plan for post-hospital care and refers patients to community resources that can assist them in their recovery.