July, Chapter 8: The Hospital Summary and Analysis

Chapter 8 concerns the history of Hermann hospital. It begins with a tale of the founder, George Henry Hermann. Hermann got rich with oil investments and left his fortune to build a hospital in Houston, insisting that a large portion of the hospital be used for charity care. Unfortunately, nothing was done for the first five years and the money was used in a variety of scandals. A board of trustees that were supposed to oversee the building of the hospital were constantly embroiled in controversy. Hermann hospital did not open until 1925 as a result. Hermann continued to grow and was incorporated with other medical facilities. Hermann continued to be caught up in scandals due to embezzlement and corruption on its board of trustees, continuing into the 1980s. Overtime the courts revised Hermann's will to allow...