In the nineteenth century, most doctors believed in fresh air’s ability to heal or prevent illness. For the poor who lived in cramped tenement apartments in neighborhoods with inferior sanitation and lack of plumbing, fresh air was hard to find. Enter The Floating Hospital, offering families a chance to spend a summer day on the water. Rejuvenating it was indeed. A day aboard the ship, soaking in the warm sunshine and breathing in the fresh air, proved to be good medicine for mother and child. | |