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Trudeau Sanatorium

Cure Porch Cousining: Love In A Time of TB

July 7, 2020 by Amy Catania 1 Comment

Mary Welday and Duke Huntington, cousining in Saranac Lake. courtesy of Priscilla Goss“The great tragedy of life is not that men perish, but that they cease to love.” — W. Somerset Maugham.

Before antibiotics, one of the more powerful medicines against tuberculosis was love. Happy patients tended to be more successful in overcoming the disease, so health care providers took every step to improve patients’ state of mind.

Patients stayed busy with occupational therapy and social activities. In the Adirondacks around Saranac Lake, cure porches were oriented toward the best views to boost patients’ sprits with natural beauty. And then there was cousining — a term for informal romances that developed between patients. [Read more…] about Cure Porch Cousining: Love In A Time of TB

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, History Tagged With: Historic Saranac Lake, Saranac Lake, Trudeau Sanatorium, tuberculosis

1 in 7 Infected: Tuberculosis Before Antibiotics

May 6, 2020 by Amy Catania Leave a Comment

prescription alcohol provided by Historic Saranac Lake collection courtesy of Jim Bevilaqua Post Office PharmacyToday, the planet is taking a crash course on the limitations of modern medicine and the complications of human disease. It is a good time to look back and see what Saranac Lake’s history might teach us about public health.

From our place in the world of modern medicine and science, it can be easy to see healthcare in the past as quackery. Many visitors to the Saranac Laboratory Museum skeptically ask: “Was there anything to it? Was there any benefit to the Saranac Lake treatment?” [Read more…] about 1 in 7 Infected: Tuberculosis Before Antibiotics

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, History Tagged With: Public Health, Saranac Lake, Trudeau, Trudeau Sanatorium, tuberculosis

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