Consumption was a term that first appeared in the 14th century, and it described every terrible wasting disease, which meant any condition that pretty much consumed the body. The word pretty much talked about every illness that ate away the body.
Though over time the word consumption came to be used to describe a specific condition which is called tuberculosis. Even though the term first appeared in 1860, not much was not known about it. It was only in the year 1882 that German physician Robert Koch identified the bacteria that caused the disease. So, quite simply consumption was the former name of tuberculosis disease
What Is Consumption Disease In The 19th Century?
Johann Lukas Schönle first coined the term in 1839. In Latin, the term meant small, swelling bump or a pimple. After the discovery made by Dr. Robert Koch for which he won a Nobel prize, the name tuberculosis became the official name of the illness that was previously called as consumption.
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What is really surprising is that the microbes that cause the disease have been around for a very long time, nearly 15,000-20,000 years. Not much was know about the disease back then and the name consumption was derived from what the ancient Greeks referred to disease back in 460 BC. The name was derived in connection to pulmonary tuberculosis.
Consumption Cure
Antibiotics were virtually an unknown thing in the past and hence the only way to control the infection was to isolate the patient. There were entire organizations that were setup to study not just the disease but its impact on the society. At the turn of the 20th century, shockingly a major chunk of Americans fell prey to this illness. It became the major cause of death and was a very feared illness. The disease spread more widely in Europe, especially during the time of the industrial revolution that began in the late 19th century. The disease came somewhat in control; when streptomycin, the first antibiotic that was effective against the deadly virus M. tuberculosis was discovered in the 1940s.
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Moreover, this disease is not a thing of the past as currently, over eight million cases of people contracting this deadly disease occur every year. Modern medicine has made it possible to recover from this illness completely, and immediate health care is required after the diagnosis.
Tuberculosis is a disease that can only be countered with medication, but there are certain things that can speed up your progress.
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