As a person who grew up in the latter half of the 20th century in the U.S., I've never given a lot of thought to tuberculosis, except in historical novels. I remember I had to have a tine test to check for the disease before I entered college, but that's about it.
Yesterday was World Tuberculosis Day, though, and a person I follow shared a couple of links with information on two different people who made significant medical progress against the disease. They were more or less contemporaries of each other.
In addition to her best-known work, Seibert was a woman who earned a Ph.D. in a scientific field from an Ivy League school (in 1923), wore leg braces as a result of childhood polio, created a safe, uncontaminated process for intravenous therapy during the early years of her career, and was honored with many awards. The University of Pennsylvania finally made her a full professor in the last four years of her 37 years there. Thanks, Penn!
Before Seibert's work, as I said, there was no simple test for TB.
Alan Hart, a medical doctor and radiologist, was a pioneer in the use of X-rays to diagnose TB before Seibert's work. Early detection was critical, because it meant possible treatment as well as slowing its contagious the spread: TB does not have symptoms until it has advanced too far.
Hart created X-ray clinics in Idaho, published and lectured widely to lower the stigma associated with the disease, and later created a model TB screening program in Connecticut.
In addition to his medical degree, Hart earned master's degrees in radiology and public health. He also found time to write four novels. And he was the first known trans man in the U.S. to undergo hysterectomy (1917).
It's ironic (if that's the correct word) that the state of Idaho probably wouldn't let him use a public restroom of his choice today, even though he saved the lives of who knows how many of the state's residents.
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