Editing Cat Stevens (section)

====Tuberculosis====
Stevens contracted [[tuberculosis]] in 1969<ref name="Stereo Review"/><ref name="Disc">{{cite news|author=O'Driscoll, Michelle|work=Disc Magazine|date=29 July 1972|url=http://www.majicat.com/articles/disc72_cat.htm|title=Tea with the Tillerman|access-date=24 October 2008}}</ref> and was close to death at the time of his admission to the King Edward VII Hospital, [[Midhurst]], West Sussex.<ref name="Disc"/> He spent months recuperating in the hospital and a year of [[convalescence]]. During this time, Stevens began to question aspects of his life and spirituality. He later said, "To go from the show business environment and find you are in hospital, getting injections day in and day out, and people around you are dying, it certainly changes your perspective. I got down to thinking about myself. It seemed almost as if I had my eyes shut."<ref name="Biography"/>

He took up meditation, [[yoga]], and [[metaphysics]],<ref name="AustralianConcert Programme">{{cite web|url=http://majicat.com/programs/ozprog.htm|title=Cat Stevens 1972 Concert Programme|last=Hely|first=Allan |year=1972|work=Festival Records PTY, Limited |publisher=The Paul Dainty Corporation (Australia) Pty.|access-date=23 January 2009}}</ref> read about other religions and became a vegetarian.<ref name="Salon.com"/> As a result of his serious illness and long convalescence<ref name="AustralianConcert Programme"/> and as a part of his spiritual awakening and questioning, he wrote as many as 40 songs, many of which would appear on his albums in later years.<ref name="CBSSundaymorning"/>