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Tuberculosis was a predominant cause of death among all classes until the end of WWII and the advent of antibiotics. It was for years associated with many renowned artistic people either having the disease or surrounded by people who did, and was also known as “the romantic disease”. For a long time the only known cure was believed to be housing afflicted persons in open air sanatoria. As a young child my grandmother was suspended in an apple tree in the garden. My image shows male tuberculosis patients resting in their hospital beds in the open air outside St Thomas’ Hospital on the banks of the River Thames, opposite the Houses of Parliament, and being cared for by a beautiful young nurse.  The inspiration for this sequel to my Old Father Thames project is a 1936 black and white image hanging in a corridor in the hospital.