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

Bottled in the Past Exhibit

Exhibit artifacts at the El Paso Museum of History.

Bottled in the Past Exhibit

Exhibit artifacts at the El Paso Museum of History.

Bottled in the Past Exhibit

Exhibit artifacts at the El Paso Museum of History.

Bottled in the Past Exhibit

Medicine box exhibited at the El Paso Museum of History.

Bottled in the Past Exhibit

Medicine box close-up

Bottled in the Past Exhibit

Various artifacts displayed at the El Paso Museum of History.

Bottled in the Past Exhibit

Household and culinary collection during an exhibit at the El ...

Bottled in the Past Exhibit

Wine bottles displayed during an exhibit at the El Paso Museum ...

Bottled in the Past Exhibit

View of exhibit at the El Paso Museum of History.

Bottled in the Past Exhibit

Exhibit view during an exhibit at the El Paso Museum of History.

Bottled in the Past Exhibit

Exhibit view during an exhibit at the El Paso Museum of History.

Bottled in the Past Exhibit

Various medicinal bottle containers during an exhibit at the El ...

Bottled in the Past Exhibit

Old milk containers. When milk would sour people would get ...

Bottled in the Past Exhibit

Exhibit view at the El Paso Museum of History.

Bottled in the Past Exhibit

Various bottles and tools of the trade during an exhibit at the ...

El Paso Rock and Roll 1950-1970, an EP Museum of History Exhibit

Dalton Powell, drummer for the Bobby Fuller Four, a famous El ...

El Paso Rock and Roll 1950-1970, an EP Museum of History Exhibit

Dalton Powell's original Bobby Fuller drum kit.

El Paso Rock and Roll 1950-1970, an EP Museum of History Exhibit

Guitar collection, Sears Silvertone guitar (Jim Murphy), Fender ...

El Paso Rock and Roll 1950-1970, an EP Museum of History Exhibit

Singing sisters I believe from the Rhythmheirs, an El Paso band ...

home.search_collection