Chest (TB) Hospital at Cherbourg c1958
In the 1950s there is an outbreak of TB (Tuberculosis), a highly infectious disease of the lungs, in Queensland. Treatment for this disease requires total isolation until the patient completely recovers.
As well as isolation wards, a modern X-ray facility is included in the building — TB patients are X-rayed regularly on their progress. The windows and doors are fitted with metal bars and locks to ensure no one can leave.
The new wing receives its first patients – those previously confined in a separate room in the General Hospital. Patients from Woorabinda, another government settlement, are sent to the hospital to recover. The most serious cases are sent to the Chermside Hospital (Prince Charles Hospital) in Brisbane.