What Is Tuberculosis?
Tuberculosis(TB) is an infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria. Tuberculosis has been around since Neolithic times and has evolved over time. During the 17th and 18th centuries, the infectious disease caused about 30% of all deaths in Europe. Today, the amount of TB cases has significanlty decreased due to improved living conditions. This does not mean that the disease is completely gone. More than 90% of TB cases still occur in developing nations across the world, making it the fourth leading cause of death due to it contagiousness. The most common form of tuberculosis infects the lungs leading to Pulmonary Tuberculosis which affects 75% of TB patients. The diagram below shows Mycobacterium Tuberculosis shown as 15549x larger under an electron microscope.
Brief History
Many early attempts at treatment can be found throughout world history. Greeks believed cutting off cool air eventuated in a burning-up of the tissues of the body. The Romans put great importance on the diet. The Hebrews appear to have been exposed to TB for many years, and made a number of attempts to control the disease from diet to the destruction of clothing. Early reported "cures" from physicians included warm sea air, milk from pregnant women, seaweed placed under the pillow, cold baths and deep breathing. Most of these proved to be fruitless, and it would be many years before any real cures could be found.
Many people believed that the disease was a form of punishment and this can be found in a number of ancient literatures, including the Bible. By 1650 consumption was the leading cause of mortality and it became a reference in some of Shakespeare's plays, one of the consumptive lovers, in "Much A Do About Nothing", as well as scrofula in Macbeth.
The first real breakthrough in understanding tuberculosis came when a German bacteriologist named Robert Koch isolated the infectious agent known as tuberculosis bacteria or tubercle bacilli in 1882. He was later awarded the Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine in 1905.
Many people believed that the disease was a form of punishment and this can be found in a number of ancient literatures, including the Bible. By 1650 consumption was the leading cause of mortality and it became a reference in some of Shakespeare's plays, one of the consumptive lovers, in "Much A Do About Nothing", as well as scrofula in Macbeth.
The first real breakthrough in understanding tuberculosis came when a German bacteriologist named Robert Koch isolated the infectious agent known as tuberculosis bacteria or tubercle bacilli in 1882. He was later awarded the Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine in 1905.