Disease in California History:
Tuberculosis in California's prisons;
San Quentin from 1864 to 1938
San Quentin State Prison, circa 1915
About the Digital Exhibit
This digital exhibit is part of the final project for a History class 'Disease in History,' at La Sierra University for Spring 2022.
This exhibit overviews California's history of tuberculosis in correctional facilities, particularly through the lens of San Quentin's State Prison from 1854 to 1938. I chose to research San Quentin State Prison because it was the first and main prison in the state of California, where tuberculosis presented a great problem in its early days. It also overviews the impact Dr. Stanley had in reducing TB cases and deaths in the Prison from 1913 onwards. It is important to note that Dr. Stanley conducted human medical experiments on his inmates at San Quentin, performing over 10,000 testicular implants from animals to humans.
Tuberculosis, a disease as old as humankind
What is TB
Tuberculosis (TB) is a contagious and infectious disease that has been as old as the history of humankind. The first records of the disease are believed to be traced back to 9,000 years ago (World TB Day History, 2022). In ancient Greece, this disease was referred to as “phthisis,” ancient Romans called it “tabes,” and ancient Hebrew referred to it as “schachepheth.” In the 1700s it was referred to as "the white plague” due to the paleness of the patients, and in the 1800s TB was commonly called "consumption."
In 1882, German scientist Robert Koch identified the origins of the bacteria responsible for TB, Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Image on the right: Azerbaijan Prison tuberculosis hospital Specialized Treatment Institution, which helps fight drug-resistant tuberculosis. February 2010. (ICRC).
Symptoms and the Spread of TB
The discovery of the TB bacteria proved that it was an infectious disease, spread from person to person through the air (coughs, sneezes, etc). The TB bacteria starts in the lungs and then spreads to other organs of the body.
In most cases, a person's immune system is sufficient to kill the bacteria, but for people suffering from other conditions such as malnutrition, HIV, or diabetes, the immune response might not be enough to destroy the bacteria. When this happens, the bacteria destroy the infected lung tissues, causing the patients to cough blood and have trouble breathing. Other symptoms include a decrease in appetite, back pain, difficulty moving, abdominal pain, and headaches.
Image on the left: Azerbaijan Prison tuberculosis hospital Specialized Treatment Institution, which helps fight drug-resistant tuberculosis. February 2010. (ICRC).
Tuberculosis in California
In the late 1800s, California became the destination for tuberculosis patients that were looking for a climate cure for their "incurable disease" (Hammel, 2017). This brought an influx of immigrants coming from all over the country
In 1910, TB was the cause of 1 in 7 deaths in California (Barry, 2016).
Image on the right: Merced County Sun:"Consumption chief cause: More deaths due to that disease in California than any other." August 1908. (CDNC).
Open-air ventilation, Good hygiene, and Sanatoriums
The increase of TB cases in California brought public health awareness, that enacted change from government agencies. “Medical and public health infrastructure became stronger and concentrated on detecting TB and averting its spread.
By 1920, there were over 100 TB hospitals and sanatoriums in California. Isolation policies in sanatoriums removed many contagious persons from crowded urban and congregate settings. Laws required doctors to report TB cases to public health authorities and compelled isolation helped to contain the spread of TB (Barry, 2016).
Image on the left: Pottenger Sanatorium in Monrovia. (California State Library)