John Croghan

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Dr. John Croghan, a physician, purchased Mammoth Cave in 1839 in hopes to relieve suffering of consumption, a disease known today as tuberculosis. Dr. Croghan thought the cave's constant temperature and humidity to have healing qualities. Deep within the cave patients suffering from the disease lived in wooden and stone huts. Visitors during this experiment reported hearing constant coughing from the patients who apperared as pale, skeleton-like figures inside the huts. The smoke emitted by large fires, used for cooking and warmth, further harmed the suffering patients. Several patients died and the rest grew more sickly causing the experiment to end in failure in 1843. The high humidity in the cave and the cool temperature harmed rather than helped the patients. Croghan's experiment added much to the medical profession's knowledge of tuberculosis and helped lead the way for control of the disease. Dr. Croghan himself died of the disease in 1849. Today there are two remaining stone huts that can be found in Mammoth Cave.