Prewar TB house
The small wooden house in the courtyard of Rijksmuseum Boerhaave is a reminder of the period 1920-1930, when the Netherlands was confronted with tuberculosis (TB) on a large scale.
Over het TBC-huisje
Years ago, a private owner donated this pre-war tuberculosis house to the museum. The house stood in his garden and served as a shed. The elements of nature had clearly left their mark on the wooden building, which must now be at least eighty years old.
Du Prie construction and development from Leiden specializes in the restoration of monuments and offered to restore the house free of charge for the museum. The craftsmen found traces of the original color under the layers of paint and restored the house to it's grass green color.
Terug naar vroeger
Rijksmuseum Boerhaave transformed it into a historical viewing box with furniture, photos and films that provide more insight into the treatments of the time. The view of the past has been supplemented with information from current medical research into the detection, control and cure of TB.
For a long time, TB was thought to be hereditary, until the German doctor Robert Koch discovered the bacteria that causes the disease in 1882. Thanks to the arrival of antibiotics, TB has been treatable since the 1950s. Until then, fresh air and sunlight were the only therapy.
Heilzaam huurhuisje
In the past, you could rent or buy these demountable tuberculosis houses from a Red Cross society or a sanatorium. This gave a tuberculosis patient who could not afford an expensive cure in the fresh mountain or sea air the chance to enjoy the healing peace, light and clean air. Tuberculosis houses were grouped together on the grounds of the Red Cross society and sometimes in the tuberculosis patient's garden. The demountable houses were equipped with a lot of glass and were on a turning circle, so that they could turn with the sun. Patients often spent months in such a house to regain their health.
Over KNCV Tuberculosefonds
KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation has been around since 1903. The organization has made a major contribution to eliminating tuberculosis in the Netherlands. Fortunately, the disease is now almost non-existent here, but tuberculosis has still not been eradicated. In fact, it is one of the deadliest infectious diseases in the world, killing 1.5 million people a year. Unnecessary, because tuberculosis can be cured! The Tuberculosis Foundation helps tuberculosis patients worldwide to receive the correct diagnosis and treatment in time. In this way, more infections and resistant forms of tuberculosis are prevented and lives are saved.
