Visual Culture and Health Posters

Title:: Tuberculosis Robs You, Public Health Protects You

(high resolution jpg) High resolution version (5,275,504 Bytes)

Description:

This illustration from the 1930s combines two powerful graphic motifs including the personification of disease as a thief and reference to the historical origins of the NTA emblem. The lurching thief, dressed in a tunic and holding a bag of leaking gold coins in his left hand and burning torch in his right hand, cowers before a knight holding a drawn sword and displaying the double-barred cross symbol from the First Crusade on his surcoat. The portrayal of disease as a thief robbing you of your health remains a common metaphor in public health imagery and in this case the noble Christian knight is the symbol of public health as protector. The caption at the bottom of the poster, "Christmas Seals finance the campaign against tuberculosis," is designed to inspire confidence in the value of the viewer's contribution.

Number of Image Pages:

1 (1,476,942 Bytes)

Date Supplied:

ca. 1935

Creator:

National Tuberculosis Association

Source:

Original Repository: The History of Medicine Division. Prints and Photographs Collection.

This image may also be accessed from the Images from the History of Medicine (IHM).

URL: http://wwwihm.nlm.nih.gov/

IHM Order Number: C00204

Publisher:

National Tuberculosis Association

Rights:

Reprinted with permission. Copyright 2003 American Lung Association. For more information on how you can support to fight lung disease, the third leading cause of death in the U.S., please contact the American Lung Association.

URL: http://www.lungusa.org/

Subject:

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH):: Tuberculosis; Public Health

Visual Culture and Public Health Keywords:: Tuberculosis

Exhibit Category:

Infectious Disease

Unique Identifier:

VCBBBS

Document Type:

Posters

Slides (photographs)

Language:

English

Format:

image/jpeg

image/tif

Physical Condition:

Good

Metadata Last Modified Date:

2004-08-19

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