Chasing the Cure in New Mexico: Tuberculosis and the Quest for Health tells the story of the thousands of health seekers who journeyed to New Mexico from 1880-1940 seeking a cure for tuberculosis, once the leading cause of death in America. Although the tubercle bacillus had been isolated in 1882, the development of streptomycin and other drugs did not occur until the 1940s. During the intervening decades, the medically approved regimen consisted of nutritious food, fresh air, and rest, preferably in a high, dry, and sunny place. New Mexico, with its high, dry, and sunny climate, was considered ideal. By 1920, health seekers comprised an estimated ten per cent of New Mexico's population. They included doctors, artists, and other professionals, many of whom remained in New Mexico. But there was a darker side, for the movement also engendered concerns about contagion. A survey revealed that by 1918, both Hispanics and Native Americans had high rates of tuberculosis'a discovery that lead to the creation of a public health department in 1919. During the Depression, the number of impact continued, for health seekers not only helped transform a territory into a state, but they also spawned a sanatorium industry that would lay the groundwork for the state's current health care system.

Nancy Owen Lewis, scholar in residence at the School for Advanced Research (SAR) in Santa Fe, is the author of a new book, Chasing the Cure in New Mexico: Tuberculosis and the Quest for Health, recently published by the Museum of New Mexico Press. Based on extensive research on the health seeker movement in New Mexico, it highlights Silver City as one of New Mexico's leading health Meccas. She has published five articles on this topic, including "High and Dry in New Mexico: Tuberculosis and the Politics of Health," which won the 2013 Gilberto Espinosa Prize for the best article published in the New Mexico Historical Review. She currently serves as vice president of the Historical Society of New Mexico. A cultural anthropologist, she received her doctorate in anthropology from the University of Massachusetts. She subsequently taught anthropology at the University of Arkansas and recently served as director of Centennial History of SAR, co-authored with Kay Hagen.

Come to the Silver City Museum Annex, 302 W. Broadway, on October 22, at noon, to meet, greet, listen to, and buy an autographed copy of her new book. Bring your lunch and munch while you listen.

The Silver City Museum creates opportunities for residents and visitors to explore, understand, and celebrate the rich and diverse cultural heritage of southwestern New Mexico by collecting, preserving, researching, and interpreting the region's unique history. For more information, please contact the museum at (575) 538-5921, education@silvercitymuseum.org, or go to the museum's website. www.silvercitymuseum.org.