The origins of the Wisconsin Lung Association date to work even before the turn of the twentieth century to treat and prevent pulmonary tuberculosis in Wisconsin. These efforts included research at the University of Wisconsin College of Agriculture on bovine tuberculosis; a revitalized State Board of Health; and a crusading commitment on the part of various legislators, physicians, and concerned citizens.
Due in part to these activities, in 1903 Governor La Follette appointed a Tuberculosis Study Commission. The commission's 1905 report in turn led to the establishment of the State Sanatorium at Statesan in 1907. Also contributing to heightened public awareness of the efforts to combat tuberculosis was an exhibit from the National Tuberculosis Association which was viewed by over 53,000 people in Milwaukee in 1906.
In 1908 Governor Davidson appointed a Wisconsin Committee to the International Congress of Tuberculosis. The committee returned from Washington, D.C. determined to carry on the work. They met in Milwaukee on October 28, 1908 and formed the Wisconsin Anti-Tuberculosis Association (WATA). In that year, the first year in which its reports were judged to be accurate, Wisconsin had 2,500 tuberculosis deaths, making it the highest single cause of death in the state.
Armed with an $8,000 budget as its portion of the sale of the national association's Christmas Seals, the association was able to develop an active program which revealed its broad understanding of the health care problem that tuberculosis then posed. This level of activity was in part a function of the personal leadership of Dr. Hoyt Dearholt, who served as executive director from 1908 to 1939 and who was also a leader in the national association. Under his guidance, the association focused its work on education. An example of the early emphasis on public education was the establishment in 1910 of The Crusader, a monthly journal and the oldest such publication of the tuberculosis movement. Other aspects of the early educational program included public lectures, the “Crusade of the Double Red Cross” to teach good health habits to school children, exhibits, films, the publication of educational material, and the distribution of press releases. Related to the educational work were surveys of actual health care conditions and investigations of the practices of physicians treating cases of tuberculosis. In 1911 the WATA survey of Dunn County revealed for the first time that tuberculosis conditions in rural areas were worse than in cities.
Rather than attempting to provide direct health care services, from its earliest days WATA worked for legislation to enable state and local governments to provide these needed services. As a result, WATA had a prominent role in the passage of legislation in 1911 which enabled counties to establish sanatoriums. At the time there were only two sanatoriums in existence in Wisconsin in addition to the State Sanitarium. In the ensuing ten years, twelve sanatoriums were established. In 1913 WATA was active in the passage of legislation which allowed counties to hire visiting nurses. WATA also worked for the establishment of a state rehabilitation camp at Lake Tomahawk in 1913. Later it contributed to the passage of Wisconsin's notable free care law.
Similarly, in its case-finding efforts WATA concentrated on focused, demonstration projects rather than a broad program of direct services. After World War I revealed a high incidence of tuberculosis among apparently healthy young men, WATA launched a program of traveling clinics to identify additional unsuspected cases. During the 1920s it began programs of clinics aimed at special audiences which had death rates from tuberculosis which were much higher than the general population: Indians in 1921, industrial workers in 1924, and Milwaukee Blacks in 1928. During the 1930s WATA began tuberculin testing demonstration projects. In 1936 the program to uncover cases was improved with the beginning of a portable x-ray. Even after the State Board of Health established a Tuberculosis Division which offered direct services to a large population WATA continued its specialized demonstration efforts.
Another prominent characteristic of the Wisconsin association dating to its founding was the establishment of a strong central organization with a professional staff. Unlike most state associations, Wisconsin passed a relatively small portion of the Christmas Seal funds back to local associations. As early as 1919 WATA had twenty professional and twelve clerical employees.
By the 1950s success in treating tuberculosis with a program that variously included surgery, antibiotics, and rest had led to a remarkable decline in the death rate, and several sanatoriums including the State Hospital at Statesan and Lake Tomahawk State Camp were closed for lack of patients. The incidence of disease among certain segments of the population remained high, however, and WATA turned its attention to these groups. In 1962 the association's focus on tuberculosis control turned to eradication with the introduction of its KO-TB (Knock Out Tuberculosis) program.
As the threat of tuberculosis continued to recede, the association adopted the larger cause of respiratory and lung disease. Reflecting this change, in 1969 the association changed its name to the Wisconsin Tuberculosis and Respiratory Disease Association. In 1973 it became the Wisconsin Lung Association.
