Emily Abel, UCLA
Barbara Bates Center for the Study of the History of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania
Time: 12:00-1:30 p.m.
Place: 2U Conference Room, Room 2019, Claire Fagin Hall
Information/RSVP: nhistory@nursing.upenn.edu or 215-898-4502
Abstract: By the turn of the twentieth century, the control of acute, infectious diseases had begun to foster the illusion that medicine and public health could triumph over death itself. Simultaneously, however, a few statisticians warned that the rising prevalence of chronic conditions made any celebration premature. Because hospitals continued to focus overwhelmingly on acute illnesses, various other facilities were established for people with long-term complaints. Although almshouses remained the only option in many rural areas, cities began to boast an array of other institutions, including tuberculosis sanatoriums, specialized cancer hospitals, homes for incurables, and chronic care hospitals. Most, however, attempted to care exclusively to patients with favorable prognoses. Seeking to counter the sense of futility surrounding chronic disorders, administrators highlighted their successes in returning people to the workforce. Few noted the importance and meaning of lives approaching death or aspects of suffering not amenable to medical solutions. Beds for very poor patients were especially scarce. Some people entered public facilities, where dismal conditions hastened death while intensifying its agonies. Many others remained at home, either depending on family or struggling alone.