- Carville’s Cure: Leprosy, Stigma, and the Fight for Justice by Pam Fessler
- Thursday, September 10, 2020—6:00pm
- Presented by American Ancestors/New England Historic Genealogical Society, the Boston Public Library, and the State Library of Massachusetts
- Hosted on Zoom by WGBH Forum Network
Carville’s Cure explores the largely forgotten history of leprosy in the United States–its impact on patients and their families, doctors, and, particularly, the swampy bayou town of Carville, Louisiana, where a “leprosarium” was established in 1894. Carville evolved into a nexus for research and "treatment" that came at a huge personal cost to liberty as patients were stripped of their names, their rights, and their dignity.
Understood today to be one of the least infectious diseases in the world, leprosy, now called Hansen’s disease, instilled a coronavirus-level of fear and an outsized reaction from public health authorities well into the 20th century. Carville’s Cure chronicles in riveting detail how America treated, contained, and demonized its sufferers before wiser heads prevailed.
Author Pam Fessler is an award-winning correspondent with NPR News, where she covers poverty, philanthropy, and voting issues. For this author talk, she will be joined by guest moderator Dr. Laura Kolbe, a physician and a fellow in the Division of Medical Ethics at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center.
This free virtual event will be hosted on Zoom by WGBH Forum Network. To register, please visit: https://wgbh.zoom.us/webinar/register/3015972361007/WN_mMmh8hOKQMipNB5fQid5kQ
Be sure to check out the other upcoming author events hosted by our partners:
- American Ancestors/NEHGS: https://www.americanancestors.org/inspire
- Boston Public Library: https://www.bpl.org/author-talk-series-at-the-central-library/
Author Talks Committee
State Library of Massachusetts