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.

Área: Central / Downtown

Fuente: El Paso County Medical Society

Cargado por: El Paso Museum of History

Comentarios

Hacer un comentario
Gracias por su comentario

Reportar esta entrada

Elige la razón más importante para este reporte

Tu nombre

Tu correo electrónico

Detalle opcional

Gracias por su reporte

Más sobre la misma comunidad-colección

Tarjeta Postal del Primera Iglesia Presbiteriana

Notation on card: First Presbyterian Church, El Paso, Texas.

Cocodrilo

Postcard of large reptile in unknown location, with back of card ...

J. J. Newberry Company - El Paso, Texas

Notation on postcard-665-Newberry's Corner, Texas and Stanton ...

Tarjeta Postal del Plaza San Jacinto

"Glimpse from San Jacinto Plaza, El Paso, Texas" Information on ...

View of El Paso from the Sky

A dirigible fling over El Paso.

Centro de El Paso, Texas

"Business Section. The Heart of El Paso Texas." Newspaper ...

Plaza San Jacinto

Glimpse of San Jacinto Plaza, El Paso, Texas. A beautiful ...

Kress Building, Hotel Hilton y Mills Building

The image shows parts of the downtown area at San Jacinto Plaza, ...

Street Scene

In this photograph, the beautiful streets of El Paso are shown. ...

O. T. Bassett Tower

This postcard shows the O. T. Bassett Tower, probably in the ...

Downtown

The image shows Mesa Street at San Jacinto Plaza. The building ...

Washington Gardens

Washington Gardens, is now the location for El Paso Zoo. On Jan ...

Street Scene

A Scenic View post card of Rio Grande Ave El Paso TX.

Edificio Martin

The Martin building, located at the corner Mills and Stanton ...

Tienda Kress

The Kress building is located at 100 E. Millls Ave. Perhaps the ...

Walking downtown

street photos; downtown on mesa St. and Texas between; Manuel De ...

Bathroom interior

Shows part of toilet, sink and bath tub. Industrial grade ...

Father walking down El Paso Street

Father walking downtown - Rodriguez Sanchez Family.

Downtown El Paso- El Paso Street

Cousin and Uncle - business in background maybe Casa Cotera that ...

Downtown El Paso

Ana and her Parents. Possibly near State National

Farah Strike - El Paso, Tejas

Graciela "Chela" worked for Farah on Paisano. Remembers people ...

Street Photos

on El Paso St. downtown (names are listed).

Palacio de Justicia del Condado de El Paso.

The image shows the sign of the new El Paso County Courthouse. ...

home.search_collection