Editing Pennsylvania Hospital (section)

=== Founders ===

'''Dr. Thomas Bond''' (1712-1784) and '''[[Benjamin Franklin]]''' co-founded Pennsylvania Hospital.

'''Dr. Thomas Bond'''
Born in Maryland, Bond trained as a physician in London and Paris before establishing a practice in Philadelphia. Influenced by the success of voluntary hospitals in England, Bond envisioned a similar institution for the colonies. When he initially struggled to raise funds, he turned to Franklin for help.

'''Benjamin Franklin'''
Franklin's genius lay in both fundraising and political strategy. He proposed to the Pennsylvania Assembly that if private citizens could raise £2,000, the government would match the amount. Skeptical legislators agreed, believing the goal unattainable. Franklin exceeded the target, forcing the Assembly to fulfill its pledge and creating a new model for public-private partnerships in philanthropy.<ref name="ushistory">{{cite web |url=https://www.ushistory.org/franklin/philadelphia/hospital.htm |title=Franklin's Philadelphia: The Pennsylvania Hospital |publisher=ushistory.org |access-date=December 22, 2025}}</ref>

Franklin served on the hospital's original Board of Managers, as its first secretary, and later as its second president. He chose the story of the Good Samaritan as the motif for the hospital seal, reflecting the institution's mission to care for the sick poor "free of charge."