When you receive a holiday card with a Christmas seal attached, do you study the design or just toss the envelope away?

Christmas seal history tells us in the late 1800s tuberculosis was the

most feared disease in the world. This infectious lung disease struck

the young and old, rich and poor.

It was known as the “White Plague” because as the disease progressed,

its victims grew pale and emaciated. Some of the famous people of the

19th century – Keats, Chopin and Robert Louis Stevenson – were victims

of tuberculosis, commonly referred to as TB. No cure was known.

In 1871 a young doctor named Edward Livingston Trudeau was diagnosed as

having tuberculosis. He decided to spend his remaining time in the

serenity of a cottage in northern New York state.

The quiet, peaceful surroundings were conducive to long hours of rest and gradually Dr. Trudeau improved. He realized the elements of sunshine, rest and good nutrition contributed to regaining health.

Trudeau sought to educate the masses. In a concentrated effort at age 53, the doctor initiated the first “Health Christmas” seal in 1924. People were urged to use these seals to heighten the awareness of tuberculosis and treatment.

The initial 1924 design featured a “Health Angel” holding high the lamp of enlightenment. The 1925 seal showed two lighted candles with words “Good Health” and “Merry Christmas.”

Each ensuing year brought forth a new design, which always included a recognizable double bar pole, the symbol of TB.

Here’s a sampling from each decade:

andbull; 1930s: an enlarged view of the “Health Angel”

andbull; 1940s: honored pioneer TB researchers Bissell, Hodges and Valkenburg

andbull; 1950s: featured a healthy caroler singing at the top of his lungs

andbull; 1960s: issues accented prevention of children’s lung disease

andbull; 1970s: added emphasis for emphysema and air pollution control

andbull; 1980s: pleaded prevention for all respiratory diseases

andbull; 1990s: slogan “A matter of life and breath”

The most recent issues feature American Lung Association designs of a playful teddy bear, snowman and reindeer. A metallic border was added.

My collection of these colorful seals includes examples from every year from 1924 to 2008.

With permission from his family, I mention the late Francis Schmidt. Schmidt, a local resident, was diagnosed with tuberculosis in 1930. He was treated successfully at a private sanitarium in Portland. Recovered, Schmidt returned to Baker where he established a well-known shoe business, “The Bootery.”

TB prevention continued 85 years after the inception of Trudeau’s “Health Seal” plan. We aid the cause presently when we apply Christmas seals to holiday mail.

Through research and study, tuberculosis has all but been eradicated.