RENOWNED author and academic Helen Bynum is giving a free lecture about tuberculosis in the context of the history of the sanatorium movement, as part of the centenary celebrations of Haslemere’s Holy Cross Hospital.

The Design for Living lecture later this month is part of a special centenary exhibition about Holy Cross at the museum through September..

It is 100 years since the Congregation of the Daughters of the Cross of Liege established Holy Cross Hospital as a tuberculosis sanatorium. Today the hospital helps people with severe disabilities and long-term conditions to achieve the best quality of life.

Holy Cross Hospital is holding a number of events throughout 2017 to mark the 100 years of outstanding care it has provided so far.

“We are very lucky to have Helen Bynum present this lecture for us,” Christopher Hinton, Holy Cross chief executive, said. “She is a wonderful speaker and an authority on tuberculosis.

“She will be weaving aspects of the history of Holy Cross Hospital into her talk along with absolutely fascinating medical and social history. As well as having such direct relevance to our history, the topic also has strong connections with the Sisters’ overseas work in such places as India and Africa where tuberculosis is more prevalent than it is at present in our society. We hope to attract an audience of local residents as well as history enthusiasts and people interested in health and medicine.”

Dr Bynum, whose book ‘Spitting Blood’, is about the history of tuberculosis, will use famous patients to tell the stories of care.

She will describe the need for the sanatorium and the experiences of doctors, carers and patients, including children.

Dr Bynum told The Herald: “The early history of Holy Cross Hospital in Haslemere, which has been providing ground-breaking healthcare since 1917, is intertwined with the sanatorium movement, particularly the care of tuberculosis patients.

“My research has revealed, among others, a founding patient - a child who was transferred to Holy Cross in 1917 from Ramsgate.

“I’m looking forward to sharing her story, and many others, with the audience at the lecture.

“I will talk about the history of tuberculosis care from the late 19th century onwards with reference to Holy Cross and what happened after the end of the sanatorium era when the face of tuberculosis in Britain shifted, but the disease never went away.”

• Tickets for the lecture, which takes place on Thursday, September 21, at Haslemere Museum, from 7.30pm, are free and includes a reception. They are available from reception at Holy Cross Hospital.