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Building ResistanceChildren, Tuberculosis, and the Toronto Sanatorium |
eBook Available
How tuberculosis infection and disease impacted the bodies, families, and lives of children before antibiotics.
In 1882, Robert Koch identified tuberculosis as an infectious bacterial disease. In the sixty years between this revelation and the discovery of an antibiotic treatment, streptomycin, the disease was widespread in Canada, often infecting children within their family homes. Soon, public concerns led to the establishment of hospitals that specialized in the treatment of tuberculosis, including the Toronto sanatorium, which opened in 1904 on the outskirts of the city.
Situated in the era before streptomycin, Building Resistance explores children’s diverse experiences with tuberculosis infection, disease, hospitalization, and treatment at the Toronto sanatorium between 1909 and 1950. This early sanatorium era was defined by the principles of resistance building, recognizing that the body itself possessed a potential to overcome tuberculosis through rest, nutrition, fresh air, and sometimes surgical intervention. Grounded in a rich and descriptive case study and based on archival research, the book holistically approaches the social and biological impact of infection and disease on the bodies, families, and lives of children.
Lavishly illustrated, compassionate, and informative, Building Resistance details the inner dimensions and evolving treatment choices of an early modern hospital, as well as the fate of its young patients.
Situated in the era before streptomycin, Building Resistance explores children’s diverse experiences with tuberculosis infection, disease, hospitalization, and treatment at the Toronto sanatorium between 1909 and 1950. This early sanatorium era was defined by the principles of resistance building, recognizing that the body itself possessed a potential to overcome tuberculosis through rest, nutrition, fresh air, and sometimes surgical intervention. Grounded in a rich and descriptive case study and based on archival research, the book holistically approaches the social and biological impact of infection and disease on the bodies, families, and lives of children.
Lavishly illustrated, compassionate, and informative, Building Resistance details the inner dimensions and evolving treatment choices of an early modern hospital, as well as the fate of its young patients.
Details
576 Pages, 6.25 x 9.25
53 b&w images, 3 maps, 5 tables
ISBN 9780773553316
June 2018
Formats: Paperback, eBook
“As developments in medicine gave rise to germ theory and other improvements, more middle-class patients came to be institutionalized. Burke takes us through the history of the institution, explores the effects of social and scientific changes, and examines the social context and health of children and their families. The book contains much detail, including both science and social dimensions, but overall is quite accessible. Recommended.” Choice
"Stacie Burke’s in-depth qualitative study is an excellent, authoritative and very readable addition to the growing historiography of childhood tuberculosis and the lived experience of tuberculosis among child sanatorium patients. [The] reopening of this sanatorium for scrutiny by twenty-first century scholars is both timely and enlightening." Social History of Medicine
“Based on more than eight hundred patient charts held by the sanatorium’s successor institution, Building Resistance provides an interesting and detailed examination of how children experienced the sanatorium, and how the sanatorium understood children’s tuberculosis.” Bulletin of the History of Medicine
“The Toronto sanatorium was the first institution in Canada (and reputedly worldwide) to dedicate buildings exclusively for infants and children. At its height, it provided 124 beds but was redundant by 1970. Stacie Burke’s reopening of this sanatorium for scrutiny by twenty-first century scholars is both timely and enlightening.” Social History of Medicine
“As an elaborate guide to the source material and as an informative case study of a children’s sanatorium, this book deserves lavish praise.” The Journal of Interdisciplinary History
"This immensely detailed qualitative study is informative, and at times, deeply moving. … Burke lets the children speak for themselves as much as possible, acknowledging their role as ‘agency-possessing, decision-making, life-embracing, animated persons.’ Importantly, Burke emphasizes that tuberculosis never went away. In fact, the far higher rates of tuberculosis in First Nations and Inuit than in non-Indigenous Canadian-born individuals remain a legacy of colonialism in Canada. Building Resistance then, is also a call to action; it is only with equitable access to adequate housing, nutritious food, and healthcare that TB may someday cease to be ‘common and familiar.’” American Journal of Biological Anthropology
"Stacie Burke’s in-depth qualitative study is an excellent, authoritative and very readable addition to the growing historiography of childhood tuberculosis and the lived experience of tuberculosis among child sanatorium patients. [The] reopening of this sanatorium for scrutiny by twenty-first century scholars is both timely and enlightening." Social History of Medicine
“Based on more than eight hundred patient charts held by the sanatorium’s successor institution, Building Resistance provides an interesting and detailed examination of how children experienced the sanatorium, and how the sanatorium understood children’s tuberculosis.” Bulletin of the History of Medicine
“The Toronto sanatorium was the first institution in Canada (and reputedly worldwide) to dedicate buildings exclusively for infants and children. At its height, it provided 124 beds but was redundant by 1970. Stacie Burke’s reopening of this sanatorium for scrutiny by twenty-first century scholars is both timely and enlightening.” Social History of Medicine
“As an elaborate guide to the source material and as an informative case study of a children’s sanatorium, this book deserves lavish praise.” The Journal of Interdisciplinary History
"This immensely detailed qualitative study is informative, and at times, deeply moving. … Burke lets the children speak for themselves as much as possible, acknowledging their role as ‘agency-possessing, decision-making, life-embracing, animated persons.’ Importantly, Burke emphasizes that tuberculosis never went away. In fact, the far higher rates of tuberculosis in First Nations and Inuit than in non-Indigenous Canadian-born individuals remain a legacy of colonialism in Canada. Building Resistance then, is also a call to action; it is only with equitable access to adequate housing, nutritious food, and healthcare that TB may someday cease to be ‘common and familiar.’” American Journal of Biological Anthropology
Stacie Burke is associate professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Manitoba.
Figures and Tables / ix
Acknowledgments / xv
1 Building Bodies of Resistance / 3
2 The Toronto Sanatorium: The Context / 72
3 Guarded Hopes and Difficult Truths: Children, Families, and the Sanatorium / 134
4 Tuberculosis and the Body: Biology, Beliefs, and Experience / 191
5 Blood and Oxygen: Building Bodies of Resistance / 263
6 From Collapse to Cure: The Modern Therapeutics / 305
7 Children and the Sanatorium: Conduct Sheets and Report Cards / 367
8 Tuberculosis Support and Philanthropy / 410
9 Conclusion / 444
Notes / 457
Bibliography / 515
Index / 551
Acknowledgments / xv
1 Building Bodies of Resistance / 3
2 The Toronto Sanatorium: The Context / 72
3 Guarded Hopes and Difficult Truths: Children, Families, and the Sanatorium / 134
4 Tuberculosis and the Body: Biology, Beliefs, and Experience / 191
5 Blood and Oxygen: Building Bodies of Resistance / 263
6 From Collapse to Cure: The Modern Therapeutics / 305
7 Children and the Sanatorium: Conduct Sheets and Report Cards / 367
8 Tuberculosis Support and Philanthropy / 410
9 Conclusion / 444
Notes / 457
Bibliography / 515
Index / 551
Winner
J.J. Talman Award
Ontario Historical Society
2019
J.J. Talman Award
Ontario Historical Society
2019
