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News Provided by Pinal County Historical Museum

Sunday Nov. 13th at 2 p.m.

Pinal County Historical Museum

715 S. Main St. Florence

Arizona’s unique climate was the main attraction for the influx of new residents in the late 19th century. Nineteenth century medicine had little to offer the disease-ridden population, and therapeutic travel and climate of the area provided an attractive alternative. Arizona, with its pure dry air, had been called “nature’s sanitarium.”

Many people (called “lungers”) suffering from tuberculosis, rheumatism, asthma and various other diseases came to Arizona. There were sanitariums and spas with their curative waters in both the desert and pine-scented mountains. So many people came to the West that there was not enough housing for them all.

In 1910, tent cities began to pop up in different areas; one of which was described as a place of squalor and shunned by most citizens. Many of the infected slept in the open desert. The greatest area for sanatoriums was in Tucson, with over 12 hotel-style facilities in the city. By 1920, Tucson had 7,000 people who had come for treatment of tuberculosis. However, this important group made significant contributions to the territory and the state.

To learn more about this fascinating chapter of Arizona history, attend our program with Dr. Robert Kravetz on Sunday Nov. 13th at 2 p.m.Dr. Kravetz is a retired gastroenterologist and a nationally recognized medical historian. He has edited and authored three books on Arizona medical history. He has been a guest curator and contributed to exhibits at museums throughout the state, including the Arizona Historical Society Museum, the Heard Museum, the State Capitol Museum, the Maricopa Medical Society, and the Phoenix Museum of History.

He has written extensively on Arizona medical history, spoken statewide and appeared on television. The Maricopa Medical Society has twice honored Dr. Kravetz for his role in preserving and recording Arizona medical history. Dr. Kravetz has spoken at the museum in the past and has donated a collection of artifacts from the Devine Drugstore in Florence currently on display at the museum.

This program is underwritten by a grant from the Arizona Humanities Council. For more information, call 520-868-4382.