Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

History of Medicine

About   |  Collections   |  Exhibitions   |  Research Tools   |  Copyright   |  Get Involved   |  Visit   |  Contact

Here Today, Here Tomorrow: Varieties of Medical Ephemera
Here Today, Here Tomorrow: Varieties of Medical Ephemera banner. Here Today, Here Tomorrow is written in brown lettering above Varities of Medical Ephemera written in blue letter. Addiction written in blue lettering below an image of a woman laying in a bed with two children at her side. AIDS written in blue lettering below a red AIDS ribbon Bookplates written in blue lettering below an illustration of a man leaning against a stack of books holding a rod of Asclepius in his left hand. Children written in blue lettering below a color image of a boy sitting in a chair playing doctor on a dog lying on a table while three girls look on. Medical Education written in blue lettering below an illustration of a doctor making patient rounds in a hospital with three students attending. Medicine Show written in blue lettering below a color illustration of the cover of Graphic Scenes Kickapoo Indian Life in the South and West. Public Health written in blue lettering below a diagonal half white half black illustration with a cigarette in the center surrounded by a red circle with a line through it. The bottom right black diagonal has Thank you for not smoking here written in white lettering. Tuberculosis written in blue lettering below a predominantly blue poster with white and yellow lettering. In the center is an illustration of Santa Claus holding a little girl in one arm and an oversized Christmas seal in the other hand. Buy Christmas Seals Fight Tuberculosis is in yellow lettering at the bottom. Women written in blue lettering below a black and white image of a woman standing and taking the pulse of a man sitting in a chair. In the upper left corner are the words The Lady Doctor in black lettering.

Tuberculosis

Despite significant advances in prophylaxis and treatment, tuberculosis continues as a serious public health problem, and resistance to the agents used for treatment continues to increase. Today posters are published warning of both AIDS and tuberculosis together, and on the importance of not interrupting treatment. Such ephemera joins the booklets, bookmarks, advertisements and brochures of earlier periods in stressing the importance of fresh air, sunshine, adequate nourishment and sufficient rest. Annual Christmas seal campaigns in North America and Europe were regularly responsible for newly-minted posters and seals; they continue today. In contrast to the materials published in the United States, French propaganda stressed the value of immunization against tuberculosis with B-C-G Vaccine, an approach which was never accepted by the medical community here.

Tuberculosis written in blue lettering below a predominantly blue poster with white and yellow lettering. In the center is an illustration of Santa Claus holding a little girl in one arm and an oversized Christmas seal in the other hand. Buy Christmas Seals Fight Tuberculosis is in yellow lettering at the bottom.

Buy Christmas Seals - Fight Tuberculosis,
color poster,
USA, 1924,
71 x 53 cm.

A color trade card featuring a woman lying on a recliner covered with a blanket looking towards the mountains and trees in the background. At the bottom in red lettering is Sauvons les Tuberculeux.

Association d'Hygiène Sociale et de Préservation Antituberculose du 1st Arr..ont.,
Sauvons les Tuberculeux,
color trade card,
Paris, c. 1929,
10.6 x 13.5 cm.


A color illustrated post card of a child lying in a bed with the windows open and a breeze causing the drapes to flow into the room. The caption at the top states Night air is the only air at night. Better open than closed up tight. Sleep in fresh air.

Chicago Tuberculosis Institute,
Night air is the only air,
post card,
Chicago, Illinois, 1920,
8.7 x 13.8 cm.

A sheet of 100 color stamps for Christmas seals for preventing tuberculosis. The stamps have the red Cross of Lorraine on the left side and the left side view illustration of an angel with a halo. In the upper right corner in white lettering is 1939.

Christmas seals,
sheet of 100 color stamps,
USA, 1939,
26.3 x 20.8 cm. overall


Color illustrated stamp for Protege contre la tuberculose. Capital letters B C G features head and shoulders views of Albert Calmette and Camille Guerin. At the top is Comitè National de Défense Contre La Tuberculose in blue lettering. The large red Cross of Lorraine appear in the bottom corners.

Comitè National de Défense Contre La Tuberculose,
Calmette,
enlarged stamp,
France, c. 1934,
15.2 x 10.5 cm.

A color phmphlet with the title Le Timbre Antituberculeux on the right side of an illustration of a woman holding a sponge dripping water on a child sitting in a large silver tub of water.

Comite National de Defense Contre La Tuberculose,
Le timbre antituberculeux,
color pamphlet containing Christmas seals,
Paris, 1938,
9.3 x 13.1 cm.


An advertisement in Dr. John Bull's almanac for Dr. John Bull's Balsam of Wild Cherry and Iceland Moss.

Dr. John Bull's Balsam of Wild Cherry and Iceland Moss,
advertisement in Dr. John Bull's almanac,
n.p., 1857,
22.7 x 13.8 cm.

A color hand bill featuring an illustration of Santa Claus in a sled with a red cross of Lorraine on the side being pulled by six reindeers. In red lettering above the reindeer are the words Fight Tuberculosis. Below in a blue panel with white lettering is Buy Christmas Seals.

Fight Tuberculosis,
Buy Christmas Seals,
color hand bill,
n.p., 1930,
12.7 x 15.7 cm.


A poster on How to Prevent Consumption (Tuberculosis) and other germs produced by the Gardner Association for the Prevention and Relief of Tuberculosis. On the left are things to try and on the right are things to avoid.
Gardner Association for the Prevention and Relief of Tuberculosis,
How to Prevent Consumption,
poster,
USA, c. 1900,
13.9 x 17.4 cm.
An advertisement for Azotyl tubercloses. It features a box of liquid azotyl and four bottles outside the box. To the bottom right of the box and bottles is a pill bottle on its side with azotyl pills spilling from it.

Laboratoires Lobica,
Azotyl,
advertisement,
Paris, 1932,
26.8 x 21.1 cm.


A letter from the Lehigh County Tuberculosis Society's president N. H. Heiligman in the campaign against Tuberculosis. The letter is dated November 1940 and has the red cross of Lorraine in the top center.
Lehigh County Tuberculosis Society,
letterhead,
Allentown, Pennsylvania, 1940,
27.7 x 21.8 cm.
A red and blue five dollar certificate for the Campaign Against Tuberculosis which represents a subscription to the campain in the community.

Lehigh County Tuberculosis Society,
The Campaign Against Tuberculosis,
certificate,
Allentown, Pennsylvania, 1940,
19.7 x 27.7 cm.


A yellow and black pamphlet titled Fighting and Curing Tuberculosis at the top and Modern Woodmen of America at the bottom. In the center are two ovals with the faces of two men. Between the two vertical ovals is a heraldic symbol.

Modern Woodmen of America,
Fighting and Curing Tuberculosis,
16 page pamphlet, illus.,
Woodmen, Colorado, c. 1920,
16.3 x 8.6 cm.

A color broadside featuring a woman wearing a hat carrying packages in her arms with Christmas Seals on the packages. In the upper right corner is the red cross of Lorraine. On the left side in black letter is Shop Early... Buy Christmas Seals Fight Tuberculosis.

Montgomery County Tuberculosis and Public Health Society,
Shop Early, Buy Christmas Seals, Fight Tuberculosis,
small broadside,
Pennsylvania, 1929,
9.2 x 17.4 cm.


A color illustration of a white spotlight starting in the top left corner and covers a group of people in the bottom left corner. In the middle of the light is the red cross of Lorraine. On the bottom in brown lettering is What You should know about Tuberculosis.

National Tuberculosis Association,
What You should know about Tuberculosis,
32 page pamphlet,
New York, 1925,
21.6 x 14.2 cm.

The yellow cover page of Dr. Schenck's method of treatment of diseases of the lungs and throat with the history of many cases that have been cured by his medicines. Dr. J. H. Schenck and son, Phildelphia.

J. H. Schenck & Sons,
Dr. Schenck's method of treatment of diseases of the lungs and throat...,
32 page pamphlet, illus.,
Philadelphia, c. 1881,
21.4 x 14.7 cm.


A set of color mailing stickers and seals for the American Lung Association, Season's greetings. In the middle of the stickers are two doves surrounded by red flowers.

American Lung Association,
Season's greetings,
set of mailing stickers and seals,
USA, 1990,
17.7 x 26.1 cm. (Overall)

A broadside from Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Health on Tuberculosis and the skirmish line of tuberculosis.

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Health,
Tuberculosis,
Pennsylvania, c. 1925,
15.4 x 9 cm.

Last Reviewed: January 25, 2024