St. Luke's Hospital - El Paso, Texas

St. Luke's Hospital - El Paso, Texas

The image shows the St. Luke's Hospital in the 1900s. It was one of the first hospitals in town which treated tuberculosis patients. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, tuberculosis spread rapidly in the United States. Throughout most of the 19th century, pulmonary tuberculosis was thought to be a hereditary disease aggravated by humid air, damp soil, lack of exercise, inadequate diet, and overcrowded and poorly ventilated housing. However, in 1882, German physician Robert Koch described the rod-shaped organism called the tubercle bacillus that causes tuberculosis. The microscopic bacteria were impossible to destroy unless exposed to heat or light. Since most infections came from people with pulmonary TB, such people needed to be isolated to check the spread of the disease. The Southwest, including El Paso, was considered ideal for the treatment of TB because of its dry, warm climate. It attracted TB patients from all over the country. The completion of the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1881 encouraged tuberculars to come west. Early care of TB patients consisted of sitting in parks to absorb the sun and convalescence in private homes. This method was ineffective and many people died. The migration of infected persons in search of a climatic cure created a major public health problem for sections of the Southwest from the late 1890s through the 1920s. During this period, many sanatoriums and hospitals opened to treat tuberculars and this deadly disease helped establish El Paso as a health center. Dr. J. Shelton Hoseley opened St. Luke's Hospital at 199 Missouri Street in El Paso, Texas in 1900. He sold it to Dr. Charles B. Hanson in 1903 and then founded another large hospital treating mainly TB patients.

Area: Central / Downtown

Source: El Paso County Medical Society

Uploaded by: El Paso Museum of History

Comments

Add a comment
Thank you for your comment

Report this entry

Choose the most important reason for this report

Your name

Your email address

Optional detail

Thank you for your report

More from the same community-collection

Pancho Villa Stash House Opening February 2020 & Cindy A. Medina

THE VILLA'S AND MS. CINDY MEDINA HAD THE 1st OPEN HOUSE AT THE ...

Pancho Villa´s Plunder

"Pancho Villa´s Plunder", is an episode that will premier on ...

Pancho Villa and El Paso

"Pancho Villa's Plunder" 3/1/22 HISTORY CHANNEL @8PM MST..."The ...

De Soto Hotel Fire

Billowing smoke emerging from the De Soto Hotel on 309 E. Mills, ...

Harvey Girls of El Paso Texas

Harvey Girls of El Paso Texas taken at Union Station in February ...

Carol Viescas, El Paso journalist c. 1985

Carol Viescas, El Paso, Texas journalist c. 1985

"Affirmative Action Statistical Report" El Paso SMSA July 1984

"Affirmative Action Statistical Report" El Paso SMSA July 1984 ...

Street Wall Art

DownTown wall art.

Stanton House Rooftop view

The hotel Stanton House’s Rooftop view

San Jacinto Plaza

San Jacinto Plaza In Holidays.

Karma Deane

Karma Deane was a prominent and well known dancer and instructor ...

El Paso County employee celebrates Women's History Month, El Paso, TX 2022

El Paso County employee celebrates Women's History Month, El ...

Lady Justice, El Paso County Courthouse 2022

LadyJustice, El Paso County Courthouse 2022

County Judge Ricardo A. Samaniego and staff, El Paso, TX 2022

County Judge Ricardo A. Samaniego and staff, El Paso, TX 2022

Female Judges El Paso, TX 2022

Some female Judges in the County Courthouse, 2022

Female Judges El Paso, TX 2022

Some female Judges in El Paso, TX 2022

Mostafa Al-Azemmouri/Estevanico at Pioneer Plaza

You are at Historias: El Paso's Black History, Site ...

Home of John & Mary Woods at Mesa & Mills

You are at Historias: El Paso's Black History, Site ...

Dr. Lawrence Nixon and Drusilla Tandy Porter

You are at Historias: El Paso's Black History, Site # ...

Hotel Sheldon, Federal Building, El Paso, TX 1908 Postcard

Hotel Sheldon, Federal Building, El Paso, TX 1908 Postcard

Iliana Holguin, County Commissioner, El Paso TX March 24, 2022

Iliana Holguin, County Commissioner, El Paso TX March 24, 2022

Maud Sampson Williams historic marker, County Courthouse El Paso, TX, March 24, 2022

Maud Sampson Williams historic marker, County Courthouse El ...

Iliana Holguin, Patrcia Macias, Vivian Rojas El Paso County Courthouse, March 24, 2022

Iliana Holguin, current County Commissioner; former judge, ...

home.search_collection