Kensington Dispensary, Philadelphia, PA

1907-08 Christmas Seals of Kensington Philadelphia, PA Louis Pasteur

When I googled "Kensington TB Dispensary", I found marijuana dispensaries. I guess the word, dispensary means something different today, however this word was once associated with tuberculosis; a place where suspected or confirmed tb cases can receive appropriate evaluation, treatment, and monitoring.

These 1907-08 US local TB Christmas Seals are among the very first TB seals from America. Each displays the double barred cross of Lorraine, the international symbol of the fight against tb, and a quote by Louis Pasteur, "It is within the power of man to banish contageous diseases from the earth." Pasteur was a French chemist and microbiologist renowned for his discoveries of the principles of vaccination, and pasteurization. His research led to breakthroughs in the understanding of the causes and preventions of diseases, including tb, laying down the foundations of hygiene, and public health.