New York Doctor Honored With U.S. Postal Stamp

ALBANY, NY (05/12/2008)(readMedia)-- The American Lung Association of New York today highlighted the U.S. Postal Services release of a new 76 cent stamp, as part of its Distinguished Americans series, which honors Dr. Edward Livingston Trudeau (1848-1915). Dr. Trudeau founded and served as the first president of the National Association for the Study and Prevention of Tuberculosis, the precursor to the American Lung Association, and dedicated his life to researching and treating tuberculosis (TB).

“At one time, TB killed one in seven people in the U.S,” said Deborah Carioto, President & CEO of the American Lung Association of New York State. “Thankfully, TB no longer ravages at those levels thanks in large part to Dr. Trudeau, who was a true pioneer and led a public health movement focusing on the ideal that we can overcome a disease through coordinated research, education and advocacy.”

Born in New York City, Trudeau attended the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University, completing his medical training in 1871. After being diagnosed with tuberculosis in 1873, Dr. Trudeau moved to the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York, establishing a medial practice in Saranac Lake. It was here that the American Lung Association of New York State was founded as a TB fighting organization in a little red cottage built in 1884.

“Although tremendous strides have been made in eliminating TB thanks to the work of Dr. Trudeau and those that followed, we must continue to prevent, diagnose and thwart TB to deal with a potential resurgence,” said Louise Vetter, President & CEO of the American Lung Association of the City of New York. “TB continues to pose a threat to our public health. Ten to 15 million Americans are infected with latent TB, and worldwide there were 9.2 million new cases of TB and approximately 4,700 deaths per day from TB in 2006.”

Under Dr. Trudeau’s leadership, the National Association for the Study and Prevention of Tuberculosis spearheaded research, launched the first-ever public health campaigns to halt the spread of TB, and fought for the establishment of local public health departments. Ultimately, research breakthroughs led to the first effective drug treatment for TB in the mid-1950s, resulting in a dramatic change in our nation’s public health.

The New York State Thoracic Society, founded in 1950 as the New York Trudeau Society, honors Dr. Trudeau’s name through a lectureship at its annual meeting in January. The NYS Thoracic Society is a member of the American Thoracic Society which is a national medical organization which establishes the latest standards of care for a variety of adult and pediatric respiratory, critical care and sleep disorders.

The stamp bearing Dr. Trudeau’s portrait is the U.S. Postal Service’s 11th issuance in the Distinguished Americans series; it will be a 76 cent stamp, priced for three-ounce First-Class Mail letters. Artist Mark Summers created the portrait on the stamp, based on a photograph of Dr. Trudeau provided by the American Lung Association.

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