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Apr 19, 2013

Vaccine against tuberculosis

Until the development of BCG vaccine in 1927 by Albert Calmette (inset top) and Camille Guerin (below), of the Pasteur Institute in Paris, there was no effective protection against tuberculosis. The vaccine was of no value to those already infected, for whom the only recognized treatment was prolonged rest and plenty of fresh air and sunshine. The supposition was that this would stimulate the blood supply to the lungs and increase resistance to Infection. A favored venue was Switzerland, but for the many who could not afford this there were many national sanatoria. Here children are treated for TB by exposure to ultraviolet lamps, London, 1930. (Science A History of Discovery in the Twentieth Century)