The Black Angels: The Untold Story of the Nurses Who Helped Cure Tuberculosis
February 11 • 2:00-4:00pm
The inspirational author of The Black Angels, Maria Smilios, will be at the National Lighthouse Museum to discuss another Staten Island, [as viewed through the] municipal hospital, Sea View Hospital (1913-1961), which was pivotal in controlling the tuberculosis (T.B.) epidemic in N.Y.C.
Maria recounts the story of the critical role of Southern, Black nurses in the managed care at Sea View Hospital for the incurable, patients with the wasting disease, tuberculosis (T.B.). Later, by the 1940’s, these “Black Angels” brought the cure of T.B. to the nation.
Editor’s Note: From the publisher’s book description: “New York City, 1929. A sanatorium, a deadly disease, and a dire nursing shortage.
National Lighthouse Museum
The National Lighthouse Museum’s Board of Trustees, Advisors and FRIENDS are dedicated to the full development of the National Lighthouse Museum on the site of the US Light House Service General Depot on Staten Island from 1864 to 1939. Partnering with government agencies, non-profits, corporations, foundations, and other organizations, we will work to promote and support historical, educational, cultural, recreational, and other related activities at the site, while maintaining the navigational significance and maritime heritage of lighthouses throughout the world. The Mission is in consonance with the Purposes of the National Lighthouse Museum as they are documented in Article II of the museum by-laws: