Art and Health
The outbreak of tuberculosis in the 1930’s was extremely lethal and called for reform in healthcare and medicine. Unable to cure “the white plague,” the most common solution was to mitigate its symptoms and hope for remission or extending life. Recognition that the disease was airborne and transmitted through proximity made sanatoriums the most viable option. In sanatoriums, patients spent time outside (sometimes sleeping under blankets), used natural remedies, rested extensively, and ate hearty food. The Italian maxim of lana, letto, latte—warmth, rest, and good food— characterized treatment in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Another dimension of treatment was psychological: using the creation and appreciation of art. Reminding patients of healthy bodies, a lush landscape, or a fanciful scene was thought to keep them fighting the disease. In fact, the painting shown here, Marion Rites’ Still Life With Cigarette (1937), was loaned by the Federal Art Project to the Suffolk Infirmary in Yaphank, Long Island. Unfortunately, due to the state of 1930s research, patients had access to habits that would have aggravated the damage of tuberculosis or any other illness. Medical facilities like this one and sanatoriums allowed patients to smoke cigarettes due to a lack of knowledge about their effects. Doctors also collapsed patients' lungs in an attempt to stop the disease’s condition from worsening. Such trial-and-error interventions are perhaps understandable, but what about the lurid colors of Rites’ painting? There seem to be many contradictions, almost a desperation, when it came to treating a usually fatal illness.
In 1943, the antibiotic streptomycin was developed and made the first effective treatment for tuberculosis. This discovery led to the disease being almost completely eradicated in the U.S. by the 1950s. Today, Americans take for granted the scientific and technological tools utilized to keep bodies healthy. With anti-vaccine rhetoric and government guidelines, there is a renewed bewilderment for what is and is not healthy. Our forgotten lesson from the 1930s is that Americans must continue to prioritize health and the scientifically valid healthcare systems in the U.S.