Summary Of The Air We Breathe By Andrea Barrett

Fresh air was once though to be an actual medical cure for tuberculosis patients in sanitariums. The Air We Breathe by Andrea Barrett is an accurate representation of tuberculosis patient's lives in sanitariums during World War I. Although the book is fictional, all the facts about tuberculosis sanitariums are true. The book revolves around several main characters who are living in a tuberculosis sanitarium during World War I. The story is told by a nameless narrator who is also a patient in the sanitarium. The story focuses on two patients, Leo and Miles, who were both sent to the facility after contracting tuberculosis. The story also follows three staff, Naomi, Eudora, and Irene, all of whom have dedicated their lives to helping the

Leo describes his own arrival, which made him realize that he was entering a new world. Upon arriving at the sanitariums the patients were ordered on bed rest for the next several weeks until they were reevaluated (Blank and Murphy 43). Leo, himself, was ordered on bed rest by the institute's doctor, Dr. Petrie, the sanitarium's docor, until he was reexamined and found to be in better health. "If all went well, the doctor said, and he rested thoroughly and ate everything, he might be allowed in a few weeks to walk once a day to the bathroom" (Barrett 18). Leo had been informed that sanitariums were the best option because they not only provided treatment, but they also quarantined the sick people. Tuberculosis patients were always sent to sanitariums in order to isolate them and for them to be able to receive prescribed remedies for tuberculosis. The institutes were created by Dr. Trudeau, who reemphasized the fresh-air cure for tuberculosis. Sanitariums later grew in popularity as they became used to quarantine the sick and to begin a program of research and education ("Visual…Posters," par. 2). During World War I, being sent to a tuberculosis treatment facility was an ordinary

After Dr. Trudeau's research, most tuberculosis institutes were moved to the mountains, where the patients were able to enjoy fresh air and picturesque landscapes ("Trudeau…District,: par. 25). Leo states that upon his arrival to the sanitarium he was amazed at the tranquility of the surroundings as well as the beauty of the mountains towering above him. During their fresh-air treatment, patients were able to enjoy the gorgeous sights while they were outside. The location was a key part of the tuberculosis sanitariums because besides providing fresh air for the patients, it also isolated them from the healthy