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

AI Outperforms Doctors in Emergency Room Tasks, New Harvard Study Shows

Researchers say the technology could help physicians with triage, diagnosis.

Harvard Finances 2018

A survey of the University’s annual financial report

Harvard Alumni and Faculty Win Six Pulitzer Prizes

Winners include Jill Lepore, Bess Wohl, Pablo Torre, and Hannah Natanson.

Explore More From Current Issue

Bronze statues of three historical figures under a stylized tree in a softly lit space.

The Costly Choice Native Americans Faced

How the Revolution reshaped indigenous New England

Three joyful graduates in caps and gowns celebrate together outdoors.

Commencement Week Events

Harvard Commencement Events 2026

Historical scene in colonial Boston depicting British soldiers confronting civilians, with smoke rising, in a city street.

Houghton Library Displays Revolution-era News and Propaganda

A new exhibit reveals how early Americans learned about the war.