Alan Hart (1890-1962)
Did you know… the pioneer of TB screening was born Alberta Lucille Hart but lived his life as a man and was ‘ashamed of nothing’?
Many of our health heroes not only make great discoveries and challenge ways of thinking in medicine, they also help break boundaries in other ways.
One such pioneer was Alan L. Hart, not only leading the way in the detection and screening of TB to dramatically reduce cases of this life-threatening disease, he was also one of the first trans men to undergo a hysterectomy in the US and was ‘ashamed of nothing’.
Alan L. Hart was an American physician, radiologist, and tuberculosis researcher.
He pioneered the use of x-ray photography in tuberculosis (TB) detection and helped implement screening programs for TB that saved thousands of lives.
His techniques allowed for the early detection of TB which improved recovery rates and helped reduce the spread of infections as people could be identified and isolated.
During the 1930s and 1940s, Hart spearheaded a campaign to eradicate TB in Idaho. To achieve this, he set up the states’ first TB screening clinics, including a mobile clinic. He diagnosed, treated, and educated people about the disease, which would go on to dramatically reduce TB in Idaho.
Hart was born Alberta Lucille Hart. In 1917–18, he was one of the first trans men to undergo a hysterectomy in the United States.
He had asked a former professor to perform the surgery. The professor initially wanted to treat Hart with psychotherapy and hypnosis, but Hart refused, and the surgery was performed. He lived the rest of his life as a man.
Both of his Grandparents’ obituaries refer to him as their grandson and Hart said that after his surgery, he was happier than he’d ever been and ‘ashamed of nothing’.
Despite his family’s acceptance Hart was forced to relocate often when he was recognised by people who knew him by his former name or challenged on his gender.
As well as being a physician Hart was a fiction author. His 1936 semi-autobiographical work The Undaunted included a character who was a gay radiologist who was persecuted for his sexuality.