In June 14, 1911, the Cloudcroft Baby Sanatorium opened, staffed by Dr. Branch Craige of Baltimore, and Miss Knox, a registered nurse. That summer the hospital was full of little patients. According to the hospital log, most patients were discharged as “cured, improved or well.” Wingless Angels, Spirited Babies…
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company employed registered nurses known as "Nurse Couriers," and assigned them to their passenger trains from the 1930s through the 1960s to attend to the medical needs of passengers. During their travels the nurses also assisted with certain administrative duties of the…
10 15 1822 The gentleman whose name heads this sketch, is known as one of Albuquerque's leading professional men and solid citizens. He was born in Kentucky on the 15th day of October, 1822, of distinguished ancestors, the high characteristics of which he possesses in a marked degree. On…
By Michael Ann Sullivan On October 27, 1937, the Santa Fe Maternal Health Center (SFMHC) opened under the auspices of Margaret Sanger and the New York Clinical Research Bureau. Florence Davenport, Faith Meem, and several other prominent Santa Fe women had invited Sanger to tea the previous summer to…
By Lauren Gray Coinciding with the end of World War I in 1918, the Spanish Influenza rapidly spread across the globe and devastated populations world-wide. The pandemic reached New Mexico in late fall of 1918; by October 26, 1918, fifteen thousand New Mexican residents had been struck ill and…
by Lena McQuade In Spanish partera means midwife or a person who assists women during labor and delivery. In New Mexico, parteras are usually Spanish speaking, empirically trained, midwives. It is estimated that between 800 and 900 women practiced as parteras in the early 1900s. By 1951 there were…
By Allegra Huston In January 2002, as I sat in a New York City taxi on my way into Manhattan from JFK airport, I was suddenly hit with waves of nausea. I clenched my stomach, determined to hold on until I reached my friend’s apartment. She was four months…
Seeking a Cure, Transforming New Mexico: The Lungers and Their Legacy by Nancy Owen Lewis, Ph.D. Thousands of people flocked to New Mexico from 1880 through 1940 seeking a cure for tuberculosis, the leading cause of death in America. These lungers, as they were called, included artists such as…
