Touro Infirmary Archives
1401 Foucher Street
New Orleans, LA 70115

Telephone number: (504) 897-8090
Fax: (504) 897-8322
Email: kahnc@touro.com
Website: http://www.touro.com

Contact person: Catherine C. Kahn

Access privileges: Please call for more information. Some collections are restricted.

Hours: Tuesday - Thursday 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Repository Information: Touro Infirmary was founded in 1852 by the philanthropist Judah Touro, as a small, waterfront hospital to care for merchant sailors of his shipping fleet. From its earliest days, all races and creeds were welcome, including many enslaved people. After Touro's death in 1854, his will left the Hebrew Hospital "as a charitable institution for the relief of the indigent sick." As a private, not-for-profit, community teaching hospital guided by the moral and ethical principles of Judaism, Touro Infirmary continues its tradition of providing services to all who seek its care.

In 1990 the Touro Foundation and Auxiliary established the Touro Infirmary Archives. The Archives collects the non-current records of Touro Infirmary and its constituent parts which carry out the mission of the hospital in the areas of patient care, teaching, and research. Additionally, the Archives collects material on Judah Touro and the New Orleans Jewish community.

Collection highlights: Members of the medical staff have included women since the end of the 19th century. A Training School for Nurses was operated from 1896-1987. Dr. Elizabeth Cohen, the first female physician in Louisiana, lived at the Julius Weis Home for the Aged on the Touro campus in her old age. From the earliest days of Touro Infirmary women have contributed significantly to the hospital, both in time and funds, such as the Ladies Aid and Sewing Society and the Touro Women's Auxiliary.

Non-manuscript material: The hospital houses collections of plaques and portraits of benefactors and other notable individuals in its history. Portraits of women donors include: Augustine Israel Bloch, Edith Allen Clark, Frank Mayer Besthoff (Mrs. S. J. Besthoff, Jr.), Dolly Hardee Turman (hand colored photograph), and Selma Gumbel.

Finding aids: Full descriptive information of arranged collections is entered into the MicroMARC database, an archival management system. This is available in the repository.

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