As a doctor and a tuberculosis victim, Edward Livingston Trudeau did a great deal for tuberculosis patients in the late 19th century. Trudeau, who recovered from the disease despite being told he only had six months to live, pioneered the treatment of fresh air and rest for the pulmonary disease. He moved to New York state, where he founded the Adirondack Cottage Sanitarium in 1885. In 1904, Trudeau organized the first society to promote national health, the National Association for the Study and Prevention of Tuberculosis, and served as its first president. The group, whose name was later changed to the National Tuberculosis Association, held its first annual meeting on this date in 1905 in Washington, D.C.

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