Tuberculosis patients doing chores in occupational therapy. Meyer Memorial Hospital, 1966. Photo courtesy of the Buffalo History Museum, used by permission. 30 Meyer Memorial Hospital 1939-1978 A new approach to therapy. By the 1960s, occupational therapy at Meyer Memorial had evolved from working in cabinetry and mending hospital linen to a more personal approach for each patient. In pediatrics, children could find relief from the intimidating hospital environment with paint, crayons, paper, and clay, and learn new ways of using and shaping these familiar materials in creative expression. Stroke patients were trained by occupational therapists in activities of daily living with the goal of increasing the patient’s independence after illnesses or accidents strike. Paintings and clay models conferred a sense of accomplishment while group singing and other recreational activities provided outlets for feelings patients might not be able to verbalize. A pioneer among Buffalo hospitals. During the mid-20th century Meyer Memorial was a truly general hospital treating patients with every infirmity from routine surgical, medical, pediatric, and obstetrical problems to particular diseases such as TB and acute psychiatric disorders requiring their own specialized care. Its open door policy guaranteed comprehensive and impartial care to any patient with any problem at any time, a humanitarian philosophy unique to the community. In 1968, the hospital’s 50th year in operation, it was an 825-bed hospital with a complete range of facilities covering both inpatient and outpatient care. It offered the only acute alcoholic treatment in Erie County; the treatment of tuberculosis from diagnosis to completion of therapy; the only bone pathology lab in the region; and the only amputee clinic operated jointly by surgery, orthopaedic, and rehabilitation services in Western New York. As a teaching hospital, all of the medical students at the University at Buffalo received over half of their clinical experience at Meyer Memorial. In just 20 years, the hospital trained nearly one thousand MDs in accredited residency programs. In addition, the hospital’s school of nursing graduated over 3,000 nurses and assisted the D’Youville College School of Nursing (then the largest nursing school in the state) with its needs for clinical experience. Dr. W. Yerby Jones A graduate of the University of Buffalo Medical School in 1924, Dr. W. Yerby Jones became the first Black department head at both Meyer Memorial and the UB School of Medicine. After completing graduate work at the Cleveland Clinic and Columbia University, Dr. Jones performed volunteer clinical and pathological work at City Hospital throughout the 1930s while practicing medicine and specializing in ophthalmology. Dr. Jones became an instructor at the UB Medical School in 1946 and an associate clinical professor in 1951. He was Chief of Ophthalmology at Meyer for more than 30 years, was elected president of the hospital’s medical staff in 1964, and four years later he became head of the Department of Ophthalmology at UB. He retired in 1971 as clinical professor of surgery. The Buffalo Urban League presented him with an award foroccupational and professional achievement and he was one of the first Black physicians admitted to membership in the American College of Surgeons. The medical library at ECMC is named in his honor.