Wilful Neglect : The Federal Response to Tuberculosis among First Nations, 1867-1945 Inuktitut Bernice (“Birdie”) Meetoos has left

Bernice (“Birdie”) Meetoos has left her home in northern Alberta to travel to Gibsons

best known for her prints and etchings depicting Inuit myths and traditional ways of life

describes many factors  that are attributed to this crisis

and the knowledge they confer

cruel punishments were all too common

Wilful Neglect : The Federal Response to Tuberculosis among First Nations, 1867-1945 Inuktitut Bernice (“Birdie”) Meetoos has leftJane Thomas is a historian and public servant. Tuberculosis, once a leading cause of death in Europe and North America, was understood to be preventable and even curable by the early twentieth century. Yet despite growing knowledge about the disease and interventions that would slow its spread, tuberculosis deaths among First Nations in Canada remained staggeringly high. Government policies rooted in colonialism exacerbated a tuberculosis epidemic.