Healing the World from the Adirondacks: Dr. Trudeau and the Saranac Laboratory
Photos courtesy Historic Saranac Lake unless otherwise noted.
Today, Saranac Lake is known for its walkable downtown, creative energy, and proximity to some of the best dining, skiing, and outdoor recreation in the Adirondacks.
But more than a century ago, this small mountain village was something else entirely: a global destination for people searching for a cure.
Dr. Trudeau working in his laboratory. Photo courtesy ADKX.
In this episode of ADK Talks, we step inside one of the most consequential—and least understood—chapters in Adirondack history: the story of Edward Livingston Trudeau, the physician who arrived in the Adirondacks gravely ill with tuberculosis and went on to found the Saranac Laboratory Museum, the first laboratory in the United States dedicated entirely to tuberculosis research.
Our guide for this journey is Amy Catania, Executive Director of Historic Saranac Lake. With clarity, warmth, and a deep command of the material, Amy helps connect the dots between cutting-edge science, Adirondack geography, and the human stories that shaped Saranac Lake into a world-renowned center for healing.
A doctor who came to heal—and stayed to change medicine.
Dr. Trudeau didn’t come to the Adirondacks chasing innovation. He came chasing survival. Like thousands of others in the late 19th century, he sought relief in the region’s cold, clean air—at a time when tuberculosis was one of the deadliest diseases on earth.
What makes Trudeau’s story remarkable isn’t just that his health improved. It’s what he chose to do next.
Dr. Trudeau’s laboratory.
Convinced that fresh air and rest could save lives, Trudeau founded the Adirondack Cottage Sanitarium to treat working-class patients who otherwise had few options. And when news of Robert Koch’s discovery of the tubercle bacillus reached him from Europe, Trudeau didn’t admire it from afar.
He taught himself laboratory techniques, improvised equipment in his own home, and began experimenting—by lamplight, through Adirondack winters—on the front edge of modern medical research.
Why Saranac Lake became the center of the TB world.
As Amy explains, Saranac Lake’s transformation was both scientific and cultural. The village evolved into a purpose-built healing community: cure cottages with wraparound porches, strict daily routines centered on rest, and a steady flow of patients arriving from across the United States—and far beyond.
Taking the cure in the Adirondacks. Photo courtesy Trudeau Institute.
Doctors, nurses, researchers, patients, and families reshaped the town. Architecture changed. Businesses adapted. Entire neighborhoods were defined by the rhythms of treatment and recovery. Long before “medical tourism” was a phrase, Saranac Lake was living it.
This episode brings that era to life—not as a dusty historical footnote, but as a vibrant, human story with global impact.
Inside the first tuberculosis laboratory in America.
One of the episode’s most compelling threads is the origin of the Saranac Laboratory itself. After a devastating fire destroyed Trudeau’s home and early lab space, a friend stepped in with an extraordinary offer: build a fireproof, state-of-the-art laboratory designed specifically for tuberculosis research.
The result was a purpose-built scientific facility unlike anything else in the country. Designed with ventilation, light, disinfection, and fire safety in mind, the Saranac Laboratory became a hub for groundbreaking research—much of it conducted under conditions that would challenge even today’s scientists.
Classic Saranac Lake Cure Cottage.
Amy walks listeners through why this building mattered, how it functioned, and what it represented at a time when tuberculosis was still widely misunderstood.
Why this story still matters—and why you should visit.
The Saranac Laboratory Museum doesn’t just tell the story of disease. It tells the story of persistence, collaboration, and belief in progress.
Visitors learn how animal experimentation helped prove tuberculosis was preventable and curable. They see how early researchers worked across borders, sharing ideas from Germany, France, and the U.S. They understand how one small Adirondack village helped shift global thinking about public health.
And soon, there will be even more to explore.
Generous windows provide lots of light needed in the days before electricity.
In summer 2026, Historic Saranac Lake will open the fully restored former home and medical office of Dr. Trudeau next door to the laboratory.
With more than $4.5 million invested, the expanded campus will offer deeper insight into Trudeau’s life, his patients, and the everyday realities of practicing medicine at the edge of the known world.
Saranac Lake’s story isn’t separate from its present-day appeal—it’s the reason the town feels the way it does.
This conversation is for history lovers, curious travelers, and anyone who believes the Adirondacks have always punched above their weight on the world stage.
Listen now.
You can listen to this episode right here on ADKTaste.com, or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music.
And if you’re planning a visit, explore tours, events, and exhibitions at Historic Saranac Lake’s website.
One more thing: If you enjoy ADK Talks, please subscribe, rate, and review—it helps more people find these stories and the region we love.
Mentioned in this podcast.
Historic Saranac Lake Website
Historic Saranac Lake Wiki
The Pioneering Fight Against Tuberculosis in the Adirondacks
Places to stay, shop, eat, and things to do near Saranac Lake.
Shop for unique Adirondack apparel, gifts and merchandise.
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