Video: Sanatorium Scenes

A new documentary combines archival photographs and footage, interviews with former patients, and expert commentary to remember the tuberculosis epidemic in the United States.

This Web extra supplements "A Scourge Remembered," March-April 2009.

Intrigued by a Rhode Island state hospital's history as a tuberculosis sanatorium, newspaper reporter G. Wayne Miller ’76 set out to learn more about the history of tuberculosis in the United States. The result, Miller's first documentary film, looks back to a time—not so long ago—when little was known about treating TB and a stay at a sanatorium was prescribed for many Americans.

View a clip from On the Lake, created just for Harvard Magazine readers:

Video edited by Mark Felton

Related topics

You might also like

How AI Is Reshaping Supply Chains

Harvard Kennedy School lecturer on using AI to strengthen supply chains

This Astronomer is Sounding a Warning on ‘Space Junk’

As debris accumulates in low Earth orbit, the danger of destructive collisions continues to rise.

Understanding AI Vulnerabilities

As artificial intelligence capabilities evolve, so too will the tactics used to exploit them. 

Most popular

Harvard Students, Alumna Named Rhodes and Marshall Scholars

Nine Rhodes and five Marshall scholars will study in the U.K. in 2026.

Harvard Revamps Controversial Public Health School Center

The health and human rights center had drawn attention for its Palestine-related program.

Explore More From Current Issue

A man in a gray suit sits confidently in a vintage armchair, holding a glass.

The Life of a Harvard Spy

Richard Skeffington Welch’s illustrious—and clandestine—career in the CIA

Three book covers displayed on a light background, featuring titles and authors.

Books with Harvard Authors Winter 2025

From aphorisms to art heists to democracy’s necessary conditions 

A woman (Julia Child) struggles to carry a tall stack of books while approaching a building.

Highlights from Harvard’s Past

The rise of Cambridge cyclists, a lettuce boycott, and Julia Child’s cookbooks