(1859-1936)

— Founder, The Breathing Association, 1906 —

In 1906. Carrie Nelson Black founded the Columbus Society for the Prevention and Control of Tuberculosis. now The Breathing Association. A woman ahead of her time, she volunteered as President and Chief Executive for thirty years, using her keen vision and marked executive ability. Mrs. Black also founded the instructive District Nurses Association (1898), Mother's Day in Ohio (1911) and the Columbus Cancer Clinic (1921). the first free cancer clinic in the United States. She served as Director of the Ohio Society for the Prevention of Tuberculosis and initiated building of the first tuberculosis cottages, Open Air School, and Nightingale Cottage. Married to Probate Judge and Columbus Mayor Samuel L. Black, she was a pioneer and health crusader who spent her life in service to humanity. As a visionary and civic leader, Carrie Nelson Black had the ability to motivate others to share her passion to care for those less fortunate.


The Breathing Association was founded in 1906 as the Tuberculosis Society under the leadership of public health advocate Carrie Nelson Black. The society provided nutrition, medical care. and sanitorium services to people who could not afford proper medical care. A tuberculosis dispensary was operated at 40 South Third Street in Columbus for Ohioans needing consultation and treatment. Tuberculosis, known as the White Plague, killed one out of nine persons in Columbus during the early 1900s. An Open Air School was established on Neil Avenue
in 1913 for children in homes where there were one or more cases of tuberculosis. In 1931, the Nightingale Cottage was opned on Brice Road as a tuberculosis preventorium for children. As tuberculosis became controllable, the agency became focused on emerging lung health issues. Today, The Breathing Association continues as a leading resource on lung health issues and preventing lung disease, and created a smoke-free Columbus in 2005.

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