Lung Health News, Fall 2004 / Winter 2005
This year marks a century of fighting lung disease for the American Lung Association. In 1904 when the organization was founded as the National Association for the Study and Prevention of Tuberculosis (TB), there was no public health system, no network of clinicians benefiting from a systematic effort, no public or patient education services, and no end in sight for a seemingly incurable epidemic. The association changed all that when a group of dedicated doctors and concerned citizens launched a nationwide effort to cure TB that would become the model for today’s public health system.
The association created the first public health education campaigns with key messages designed to stop the spread of TB such as no public spitting and no shared cups and spoons. Association volunteers served as the first public health workers as they went door to door to help the masses fight off TB.
“When the American Lung Association was founded, it was a radical departure from the charities and the learned societies that had existed previously. It represented the birth, not just of an organization, but of the entire modern public health movement,” says Alfred Munzer, MD, a past president of the American Lung Association. “Today we adhere to this same basic premise – that disease, ignorance, prejudice and fear can be defeated through research, education and advocacy.”
The Rise of a Movement
By the late 1800s, TB was the number one cause of death, wiping out entire families and wreaking havoc. So when Dr. Edward Livingston Trudeau was diagnosed with it in 1871, he took it as a death sentence and decided to live out the rest of his days in a remote cottage in New York. But he discovered by isolating himself from others with TB, his health improved and he eventually recovered.
In 1884, Dr. Trudeau opened a small TB hospital, known as a sanatorium, where each patient was isolated. His Little Red Cottage at Saranac Lake was the first of many sanatoriums to open around the nation.
By then it was well understood that TB was a contagious disease caused by the tubercle bacillus. Many physicians realized to effectively stop it, the public would need to be educated about TB, and perhaps even regulated. More sanatoriums were also needed to treat the masses. But these activities would require leadership, organization and funds.
The National Association for the Study and Prevention of Tuberculosis rose out of a committee appointed by the Maryland Commission on TB to create a national organization. Dr. Trudeau was on that committee and was subsequently elected as the first president.
The association’s goal of a comprehensive public health program to address TB was extremely innovative for the time. Its strategy to fight disease through public education, research and advocacy is now used by health agencies around the world.
The organization also set the stage for effective fundraising campaigns in 1907 when Emily Bissell developed the first Christmas Seal®. Her goal was to raise $300 for a local sanatorium, but instead she raised $3,000. Today, Christmas Seals® and other holiday seals continue to generate significant funds for the American Lung Association.
Moving Beyond TB
By 1954, the death rate from tuberculosis was less than one-fiftieth of what it had been in 1904 thanks to effective public health policies and medications, developed in part through research funded by the association. In 1956, board members voted to expand the association’s mission to include other respiratory diseases.
At that time, evidence was beginning to mount about the health dangers posed by smoking. When the U.S. Surgeon General’s Report was issued in 1964 outlining the health risks of tobacco use, the association was well on its way to developing what would become model quit-smoking programs and public education campaigns.
Air pollution was also becoming a serious public health issue in the 1960s as more cars, trucks and buses continued to fill our newly built highways. In 1973, the organization changed its name to the American Lung Association to reflect its mission to fight all threats to lung health and improve life for people with all types of lung disease, including asthma, emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Advocating for Change
Today the American Lung Association continues to be in the forefront with its fight against lung disease through innovative programs and important research studies. Through its effective advocacy campaigns, the association is able to improve even more lives by securing public policies that protect lung health.
In California, the American Lung Association of California was instrumental in passing the landmark Proposition 99 tobacco tax in 1988, which has since funded successful campaigns that have drastically reduced tobacco use in this state. California was one of the first states in the nation to protect workers from secondhand smoke thanks in large part to the American Lung Association of California’s advocacy efforts.
Over the years, the American Lung Association of California has fought for policies to improve air quality. The association has spearheaded efforts that have resulted in cleaner vehicles, stronger air quality laws and regulations, and a move toward renewable energy in California.
From its early days working to eradicate tuberculosis to its efforts to prevent lung disease through research and advocacy, it has been through the dedication of determined individuals that has made the difference. Dr. Trudeau would be proud.
