The Atlas Obscura Podcast Sea View Hospital and the Black Nurses Who Helped Cure Tuberculosis
Jan 1, 2026
Maria Smilios, an author and historian, unveils the untold stories of Black nurses at Sea View Hospital, who played a pivotal role in curing tuberculosis. The conversation explores the grim history of TB, the hospital's isolation on Staten Island, and the exodus of white nurses that led to the recruitment of Black nurses during the Great Migration. Smilios highlights their resilience amidst discrimination and their crucial contributions during the groundbreaking clinical trials for isoniazid, often overshadowed in historical narratives.
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Tuberculosis's Deep Historical Fear
- Tuberculosis haunted humanity for hundreds of thousands of years and was deeply stigmatizing in modern cities.
- Maria Smilios explains TB caused fear because it had no cure and it ostracized sufferers.
Why Seaview Was Built On Staten Island
- Seaview was placed on Staten Island to isolate patients while keeping visitor access and fresh sea air.
- The hospital filled immediately and treated thousands as New York battled tens of thousands of TB deaths annually.
White Nurses Quit, Black Nurses Recruited
- By 1929 many white nurses quit Seaview for safer, more modern jobs in the city.
- The city then recruited qualified Black nurses from the Jim Crow South to staff the understaffed hospital.