A new exhibit in the Gallery at the Strauss Health Sciences Library, Breathtaking: The Fight Against Tuberculosis explores the history of tuberculosis diagnosis, treatment, and public health prevention from the late 19th to early 20th centuries. Presented in conjunction with the Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education’s One Book One Campus program and inspired by John Green’s Everything is Tuberculosis, the exhibit invites reflection on both the medical innovations and human experiences that shaped the global fight against the disease.

The exhibit brings together diagnostic tools, treatment apparatus, containment devices such as sputum flasks, and other early medical instruments from the Dr. Robert and Mrs. Patricia Shikes History of Colorado Medicine Collection, illustrating how understanding and treatment of tuberculosis evolved over time. It also features signage, advertisements, and educational brochures from early public health campaigns, highlighting how education and prevention became essential strategies in controlling the spread of infection.

The artifacts on display represent only a small portion of a generous 2015 gift to the Strauss Library from Dr. Robert Shikes, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Pathology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Additional items related to the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of tuberculosis can be explored in the Digital Collections of the Anschutz Medical Campus.

Breathtaking: The Fight Against Tuberculosis will be on display in the Strauss Health Sciences Library 3rd-floor Gallery through Spring 2026.