I remember Dr. Mike Iseman (a respected TB expert at National Jewish) coming to Bellevue Hospital to speak and to attend our TB case conferences when I was on the Chest Service there, circa 1993. He once told us how National Jewish got its name but I'll be flakskdfuakjlejed if I could remember what he said. I remember everything else he said (this is pure sucking up just in case he reads the blog, so I didn't really remember everything he said but I wish-since he's a bright guy-there I go again, make me stop!) Anyway I picked up some books to understand the distant history of National Jewish.
There are two books that outline the development of National Jewish and TB medicine in Denver, A Place to Heal by Mary Ann Fitzharris and Blazing the Tuberculosis Trail by Jeanne Abrams.
In 1858 there was a gold rush in the area and the Jewish community became well established in Denver, primarily with reasonably well-off, or middle to upper middle class Jews of German decent. In the 1880s many others came to Denver for its dry and sunny air. This was especially true of those with TB since it was thought that sun and fresh air was good for those with TB. At one point in the late 19th century it was believed that 60% of the immigrants to the area had TB or were family members of those with TB. In a way it was becoming the "world's sanatorium".
Two key people contributed to the development of a hospital and campus dedicated to the treatment of those with TB and their family. Frances Wisebart Jacobs was an activist who travelled into the homes of those with TB and worked to get a hospital for indigent patients with TB. Rabbi William Sterne Friedman also saw the need for such a hospital. Rabbi Friedman worked with the established Jewish community in Denver and was able to amass enough money to contribute to the establishment of National Jewish Hospital in 1899. Unfortunately Frances Jacobs died of pneumonia in 1892 and did not see the establishment of the new hospital.
The establishment of a hospital dedicated to the care of those with TB spawned facilities to care for family members of TB patients. The Hofheimer Preventorium was established to care for the children of TB patients with the thought that children may be more susceptible to the medical and psychological consequences of having parents or adult loved ones with TB. It was noticed that many of the children had breathing difficulty associated with wheezing and National Jewish doctors took an interest in asthma.
The history of National Jewish becomes diverse and wonderful as it spawned many investigators through history involved in TB, asthma and eventually pulmonary fibrosis, occupational lung diseases, and now nontuberculosis mycobacterial lung disease. It is also becoming involved in lung cancer research and care.
But National Jewish wasn't the only institution dedicated to TB care in the late 19th century since Denver was as diverse a community as was the United States. The Jewish Consumptive Relief Society established a sanatorium, Lakewood San., for the more destitute Eastern European Jewish population emigrating to the area, and the Swedish National Sanitorium as well as the Evangelical Lutheran Sanitorium were also developed around this time. Prior to antibiotic therapy sanitoria were the centers for TB care and Denver was an active region of the United States in this regard.
Today in Denver it is clear and sunny and the mountains are out in regal splendor.
There are two books that outline the development of National Jewish and TB medicine in Denver, A Place to Heal by Mary Ann Fitzharris and Blazing the Tuberculosis Trail by Jeanne Abrams.
In 1858 there was a gold rush in the area and the Jewish community became well established in Denver, primarily with reasonably well-off, or middle to upper middle class Jews of German decent. In the 1880s many others came to Denver for its dry and sunny air. This was especially true of those with TB since it was thought that sun and fresh air was good for those with TB. At one point in the late 19th century it was believed that 60% of the immigrants to the area had TB or were family members of those with TB. In a way it was becoming the "world's sanatorium".
Two key people contributed to the development of a hospital and campus dedicated to the treatment of those with TB and their family. Frances Wisebart Jacobs was an activist who travelled into the homes of those with TB and worked to get a hospital for indigent patients with TB. Rabbi William Sterne Friedman also saw the need for such a hospital. Rabbi Friedman worked with the established Jewish community in Denver and was able to amass enough money to contribute to the establishment of National Jewish Hospital in 1899. Unfortunately Frances Jacobs died of pneumonia in 1892 and did not see the establishment of the new hospital.
The establishment of a hospital dedicated to the care of those with TB spawned facilities to care for family members of TB patients. The Hofheimer Preventorium was established to care for the children of TB patients with the thought that children may be more susceptible to the medical and psychological consequences of having parents or adult loved ones with TB. It was noticed that many of the children had breathing difficulty associated with wheezing and National Jewish doctors took an interest in asthma.
The history of National Jewish becomes diverse and wonderful as it spawned many investigators through history involved in TB, asthma and eventually pulmonary fibrosis, occupational lung diseases, and now nontuberculosis mycobacterial lung disease. It is also becoming involved in lung cancer research and care.
But National Jewish wasn't the only institution dedicated to TB care in the late 19th century since Denver was as diverse a community as was the United States. The Jewish Consumptive Relief Society established a sanatorium, Lakewood San., for the more destitute Eastern European Jewish population emigrating to the area, and the Swedish National Sanitorium as well as the Evangelical Lutheran Sanitorium were also developed around this time. Prior to antibiotic therapy sanitoria were the centers for TB care and Denver was an active region of the United States in this regard.
Today in Denver it is clear and sunny and the mountains are out in regal splendor.
It's easy to see why those migrating west looking for sunshine would have stopped in Denver, depending on the season. Have you discovered the secret under the sidewalks yet?
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