A patient on a postural drainage frame, Harefield Sanatorium, Harefield, Greater London
Postural drainage refers to the clearing of mucus from the lungs using gravity. This was to help patients to breathe more easily. Harefield Sanatorium opened in 1921 for the treatment of tuberculosis patients. Tuberculosis (TB) was an infectious bacterial disease transmitted through the air, that mainly affected people’s lungs. Before vaccines and antibiotics were developed it was treated by sending patients to a hospital in a place with clean air for ‘bed-rest’, often outside. Harefield Sanatorium became world-renown for the treatment of lung and respiratory conditions.
