Richard Melzer

Sanatoriums of New Mexico Richard Melzer

Marc Notes: Tuberculosis, also known as consumption, the White Plague, or simply TB, was the number-one killer in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Many physicians of the era advised their patients to chase the cure for tuberculosis in the Southwest, where the regions clean, dry, fresh air, high altitude, and sunshine offered relief for most and recovery for some. New Mexico, called the well country, was particularly eager to promote itself as a mecca for lungers with the coming of the railroad to the territory in 1880 and the creation of many new hospitals, known as sanitariums or sanatoriums (sans), which specialized in the treatment of TB. This is a brief history of New Mexico sans, their patients, and the doctors, nurses, and staff who served them during the golden age of the TB industry, from the turn of the 20th century to the eve of World War II.--; Source other than Library of Congres. Table of Contents: Foreword -- Acknowledgments -- 1. Inventing the Sans -- 2. Santa Fe's St. Vincent and Sunmount Sanatoriums -- 3. Albuquerque's St. Joseph Sanatorium -- 4. Albuquerque's Presbyterian Sanatorium -- 5. Albuquerque's Smaller Sanatoriums -- 6. New Mexico's Military Sanatoriums -- 7. Northern New Mexico Sanatoriums -- 8. Southern New Mexico Sanatoriums -- 9. Successes and Failures -- 10. Passing of an Era. Publisher Marketing: Tuberculosis, also known as consumption, the White Plague, or simply TB, was the number-one killer in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Many physicians of the era advised their patients to chase the cure for tuberculosis in the Southwest, where the region's clean, dry, fresh air, high altitude, and sunshine offered relief for most and recovery for some. New Mexico, called the "well country," was particularly eager to promote itself as a mecca for lungers with the coming of the railroad to the territory in 1880 and the creation of many new hospitals, known as sanitariums or sanatoriums ("sans"), which specialized in the treatment of TB. This is a brief history of New Mexico's sans, their patients, and the doctors, nurses, and staff who served them during the golden age of the TB industry, from the turn of the 20th century to the eve of World War II. Contributor Bio:  Melzer, Richard Richard Anthony Melzer is a professor of history at the University of New Mexico Valencia Campus. He is a former president of the Historical Society of New Mexico and is the author of many books and articles on twentieth-century New Mexico history.