Tuberculosis hut
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A tuberculosis hut or TB hut is a small wooden building that was used, mostly in the early twentieth century, by tuberculosis patients to recover in solitude.
By the end of the 19th century, one out of four deaths in Europe was related to tuberculosis. The disease was often associated with bad hygiene and air pollution in the cities. As a result of improvements in housing and healthcare in the beginning of the 20th century, there was a downward trend in the number of patients,[1] but there was still no cure. Medical treatment consisted mainly of bedrest, sunlight, fresh air and healthy food. As an alternatives to treatment in a sanatorium, tuberculosis huts were introduced.[2]
Locations
In the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, the houses could be found in groups near hospitals or sanatoria. In the Netherlands, these could also be found near health associations, on farmground just outside the town center or in gardens of individuals.[2][3] Once a day a nurse visited the patient for medical treatment; the family of the patient took care of the rest.[2] The huts could be bought, borrowed or rented.[3][4][2]
In the United States, similar huts were built in Colorado Springs. Where patients in Europe were sent to sanatoria in the Alps, patients in the United States were encouraged to cure in the fresh mountain air of Colorado Springs. Charles Fox Gardiner, a local doctor, decided to avoid any cross-contamination between patients by isolating them in small tents, instead of putting them all in one room. He developed special octahedral huts, that were placed in rows.[1]
Design
Tuberculosis huts existed in various forms, but in general they were simple premanufactured wooden buildings, that could be put together on the spot.[3] They were white or green, with a lot of glass to allow the entering of as much sunlight as possible. On the front side, the houses were either fully open, or they contained large doors that could be opened wide.[4][2][1] The huts in Colorado Springs were fixed to one place. The type of huts that was used in British hospitals, could be rotated on turntables towards the sun and out of the wind, to optimise the recovery conditions for the patients.[1] In the Netherlands, both the fixed and the revolving types could be found.[2][5][4]