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In the winter of 1842, Dr. Croghan invited 15 of his patients to take up residence in the cave.  Patients resided within a series of buildings constructed by enslaved individuals, including two stone cabins and eight simple wooden structures measuring 12 x 18 feet with tongue and groove flooring and canvas roofs.

The stone Tuberculin Huts were documented in 1991 as part of the National Register nomination for Mammoth Cave Historic District (NPS Photo, National Register of Historic Places Collection).  

Initially, the patients seemed to improve. Dr. Croghan enthusiastically began to draw up plans for a hotel, to be established within the cave to house the anticipated masses that would be sure to flock to the sanative cavern.

“I used to stand on that rock and blow the horn to call them to dinner. There were fifteen of them and they looked more like a company of skeletons than anything else.”

Winter progressed, with only the patients’ daily routines to mark the passing of days. Before long, it became clear that the dank, dark conditions worsened their symptoms. Smoke and ash from lard oil lanterns and a large fire used to light the cave continuously filled the chambers while the dampness of the air further degraded damaged lungs. Cedar trees and bushes brought in to lighten the atmosphere quickly withered. 

While some cooking occurred within the cave, other meals were prepared off-site by enslaved individuals and brought into the cave. A server named Alfred noted, “I used to stand on that rock and blow the horn to call them to dinner. There were fifteen of them and they looked more like a company of skeletons than anything else.” 

Pioneering photographer Frances Benjamin Johnston enters Mammoth Cave with her party in 1892. Her images of the cave would be published in a volume titled "Mammoth Cave By Flash-Light" and give a unique perspective not only on Mammoth Cave at the turn of the last century, but also on the talent and determination of one of America's preeminent photographers (NPS Photo, described at Mammoth Cave National Park website).

Meanwhile, tours of Mammoth Cave had begun in 1816. The tourist infrastructure developed over the next several decades, including the expansion and remodeling of the existing hotel and creation of new roads by Dr. Croghan. 

These improvements and public tours of the cave system continued alongside the underground medical experiment. Unsuspecting visitors would occasionally encounter ghastly patients in hospital gowns shuffling along passageways, or hear hollow coughing echoing in the distance.

A Resting Place

As the weeks wore on, five patients ultimately died inside the cave, their bodies laid out on what is now known as corpse rock. Dr. Croghan despondently returned to the surface with the remaining survivors. The experiment was not repeated and the wood frame huts were dismantled, while the two stone cottages remain along Broadway within the Mammoth Cave Historic District.

Broadway, or Main Cave, inside Mammoth Cave along the historic tour route (NPS Photo, Mammoth Cave National Park website).

The experiment lasted no more than five months, from autumn 1842 to early 1843. While the cool cave setting conformed to the treatment standards of the times, the unventilated, damp environment made the disease worse. Like his patients, Dr. Croghan ultimately passed of tuberculosis in 1849.

Looking for a tale with a more positive outcome? Explore the health benefits of parks:  Healthy Parks Healthy People

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Library of Congress image information:

Consumptive’s Room , Mammoth Cave (A.V. Oldham, c1912)