09 May 2010

Heliotherapy for tuberculosis

In 1925, decades before the discovery of streptomycin, this was one way people tried to battle tuberculosis. 
Most tuberculosis specialists recommended heliotherapy, exposure to the sun, rest and fresh air as the most beneficial, non-surgical, treatment. In the United States, Eastern and Western high altitude mountainous areas offering crisp fresh air were thought ideal locations. This photograph was taken in a New Mexico tuberculosis sanitarium. Total nudity was preferred for heliotherapy.
And look at those beautiful Navaho rugs.  

Photo and text credit (OVO), via Sloth Unleashed.

3 comments:

  1. In Norway, they built a place high in the mountains exactly for the heliotherapy mentioned in this post...It is at the top a mountain immediately adjacent to the Nord-Fjord. See some pics at http://www.panoramio.com/photo/1001886

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  2. Very nice, though for family reasons I prefer the Fjaerland Fjord -

    http://tywkiwdbi.blogspot.com/2008/05/distad-norway.html

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  3. Better than putting TB patients in a cave, I suppose.

    http://www.hsl.virginia.edu/historical/reflections/tuberculosis/cave.html

    ReplyDelete

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