Witness: Witness Archive 2015

Professor Denny Mitchison was a pioneer in the search for a cure for tuberculosis. It was once one of the biggest killers in the world. Up until the 1950s the only treatment for the disease was bed rest and fresh air.Photo: Tuberculosis patients from St. Thomas' Hospital rest in their beds in the open air by the River Thames in 1936. (Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images)