Diseases America Forgot

It all starts with this article: Where are they now? Diseases That Killed You In Oregon Trail. In its adolescence, America's population was constantly struggling with viral and bacterial plagues that are now largely under control in the US due to vaccinations and antibiotics. (That's right, anti-vaccine celebrities).

Along with the near-eradication of these diseases, we can also see how the places that once treated the sick were abandoned to the wilderness. North Brother Island is one such place, eerily close to the Bronx. It was a home to lepers as well as the famous Typhoid Mary. Recently, Ian Ference decided to photograph its remains.

Slowly, some of these areas are being reused, such as the site of the White Haven Sanitorium, which was once used to quarantine and treat consumptives (i.e. tuberculosis patients) and is now the Powerhouse Eatery.

But if you're just into abandoned hospitals, look only slightly further than a Google search.