23rd Annual Student Research Conference
Pulmonary Consumption as Reviewed in the Newspaper Media from 1767 to 1825
Erica L. Wiley
Dr. David Robinson, Faculty Mentor
Pulmonary consumption (tuberculosis) has affected the United States since its founding. The way North Americans view diseases, disability, and the medical community has greatly affected our views on many different aspects of our society. Especially the northeastern United States, consumption and opinions about the disease made their way into the early newspapers of the region. This paper examines those newspaper sources and comes to several conclusions about the social context of this disease. Remedies and cures for consumption were published in newspapers, and women of the time were overall portrayed as weaker, less resilient, and in need of the stability of a household. This research also assesses the degree of the dependency of communities on medical doctors.
Keywords: tuberculosis, newspapers
Topic(s):History
Communication
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 16-1
Location: MG 2090
Time: 8:00