In 1927, the Zoo built its first hospital, the only one of its kind in the U.S. at the time. The funds were provided by Zoo friend and benefactor Ellen Browning Scripps, and named the Ellen Browning Scripps Hospital and Biological Research Institute in her honor. From the start, the hospital served as a center for scientific research as well as veterinary care, studying animal physiology, behavior, and diseases. The staff shared research results with scientists across the U.S. and even around the world. It was already clear to Dr. Harry and Belle Benchley that little was known about some animal species, and that much could be learned from animals in zoos.