# Abandoned Tuberculosis (and Other Disease) Sanatoria

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abandoned-tuberculosis-and-other-disease-sanatoria/605255>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 6, 2011, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abandoned-tuberculosis-and-other-disease-sanatoria/605255 "2011-12-06T12:46:16Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\
**Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abandoned-tuberculosis-and-other-disease-sanatoria/605255/1 "2011-12-06T12:46:16Z")

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Several former hospitals that, at one time or another, warehoused patients suffering from dread communicable diseases (usually tuberculosis, but others I suppose) are still standing throughout the US. These buildings are attractions for vandals, urban explorers, ghost hunters, etc.

My understanding of microbiology is pretty limited, so please forgive me for asking what may be a really stupid question: are people who visit those places at any risk of contracting disease? Like, the bacteria from patients still linger on surfaces and are still potent, despite decades of being exposed to the elements?

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**Author:** ![LateComer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b5ac83/32.png) [@LateComer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LateComer)\
**Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abandoned-tuberculosis-and-other-disease-sanatoria/605255/2 "2011-12-06T16:13:14Z")

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I can’t specifically answer your question but just last week I watched a show about [Cresson hospital.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Frick_State_Hospital) It was a TB sanitorium (on land donated by Andrew Carnegie in 1916) until the 50’s and is now a prison.

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**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\
**Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abandoned-tuberculosis-and-other-disease-sanatoria/605255/3 "2011-12-06T16:30:31Z")

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Gee, I hope not, because for three years I worked iin a former sanitorium that had been renovated into office space.

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**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\
**Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abandoned-tuberculosis-and-other-disease-sanatoria/605255/4 "2011-12-06T16:34:42Z")

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Ditto. A local college/junior university has renovated a TB hospital into its business building.

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**Author:** ![jk1245](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/49beb7/32.png) [@jk1245](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jk1245)\
**Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abandoned-tuberculosis-and-other-disease-sanatoria/605255/5 "2011-12-06T16:36:36Z")

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IAMNA microbiologist, but no. The bacteria that causes TB is only viable a few hours outside the body. In order to be a risk after all those years, there would have to be [spores](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endospore). TB and cholera causing bacteria do not produce spores.

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**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\
**Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abandoned-tuberculosis-and-other-disease-sanatoria/605255/6 "2011-12-06T16:45:06Z")

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As **jk1245** said,TB isn’t very contagious. I grew up at a sanatorium and we children ran around in the hospital as if we owned the place without catching it, but on the other hand inoculating was compulsory then (I have no idea how it is nowadays).