Windows to the Past, Pt. V

In the early 1900s, tuberculosis was the health scourge of the day. Year-round outdoor classes--held on hospital roofs, school annexes, and river ferryboats--were considered one of the best methods of toughening up young, weak lungs. (Feb. 24, 1921)

The city school district operated a school-based program that provided dental care to many students. In 1938 alone, its clinics treated more than 125,000 students. (Oct. 27, 1944)

Students who were thought to be “anemic”, “cardiopathic,” or “pretubercular” were prescribed plenty of fresh air in classrooms where the windows were kept wide open throughout the year. First introduced in 1909, the experiments in fresh-air education died out by the 1940s. (Feb. 21, 1921)