Lowell History: The Isolation Hospital

The Lowell Sun, November 14, 1917

The Lowell Sun, October 26, 1920

See the October 11, 2020 Lowell Sun article, "Isolating, a century ago in Lowell"

by Alana Melanson

Detail of map of Lowell 1924

In Lowell’s almost 200-year history, there has been numerous political controversies and many of these were about municipal buildings. One of the most contentious projects was the Isolation Hospital.  It was controversial before it was built, consistently controversial during its over 40-year existence, and controversial right up to its closing and demolition.

There were three separate hospital buildings, referred to as “the shacks.” They were Y-shaped one-story structures set apart from each other facing in the same direction. There was also an administration building and a heating plant.

The Hospital was build for patients with tuberculosis and other contagious diseases of which there were many. These multiple missions were often a source of misunderstandings.

At that time, doctors and scientists knew that a microbe caused tuberculosis, but a cure would not be available for decades. In the absence of a cure, the response was to isolate the patient to prevent the spread of the disease and to provide treatment.

The only known treatments at that time were fresh air, sunlight, good and plentiful food, and rest. The shacks were designed to provide the patients with the maximum amount of sunlight and fresh air possible. This is the reason for the interesting architecture of the hospital.

Doctors and scientists also knew that tuberculosis was a contagious disease, but it was not contagious like influenza and other easily-spreadable diseases. So, there were also efforts to isolate those afflicted with tuberculosis from others. This is the reason for the interesting name of the hospital.

The Isolation Hospital can also be seen as a metaphor for a society’s response to disease and, on a larger scale, an attempt to control something that seemed to be beyond control and understanding. There were countless attempts to do this throughout history. Some succeeded, some failed, and some helped. The key is that some people tried.