Trending
In partnership with The Campus Read at West Virginia University, the William A. Neal Museum of the Health Sciences invites the community to learn about West Virginia's historic fight against tuberculosis through a lecture and exhibit from 6-8 p.m. Monday.
The presentation will explore the history of tuberculosis -- a devastating disease once feared as the "white death" because of the pale pallor of its victims.
Attendees will learn about how the state fought this healthcare crisis, from the sanitariums at Hopemont, Pinecrest and Denmar to the public health campaigns that worked to get education, diagnostic technology, and treatments into the rural areas of West Virginia.
“Tuberculosis is considered the world's oldest contagious disease, and yet a successful medical treatment was not developed until the 1950s," said Neal Museum of the Health Sciences Curator Katie Thompson. "The research for this exhibit has uncovered a truly fascinating history of how West Virginians fought a disease that had no cure."
This experience is one of several in the 2026-27 Campus Read event series. Everything Is Tuberculosis by John Green explores why tuberculosis remains the world's deadliest infectious disease despite being curable.
“This year, the campus community has been fascinated by the intersection of tuberculosis with the humanities, dark tourism, public health, political science, and history," said Susan Lantz, director of the WVU Campus Read. "Thompson's presentation will give us the opportunity to study this disease via the cultural implications of our very real and substantial public history in West Virginia."
The event will begin at 6 p.m. with introductory remarks and a talk by Thompson in Health Sciences North, room 1905, and conclude with a self-guided tour of the exhibit in the Neal Museum and Health Sciences Library. Thompson will be available to address questions as guests explore the exhibit. The event is free and open to the public.
Learn more and register at https://wvu.libcal.com/calendar/events/fightingTBinWV.