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Tuberculosis
TUBERCULOSIS
The history of tuberculosis proves that it was an ancient deadly disease.
Ancient skeletons prove that T.B. has been around since the beginning of mank.ind. The disease
leaves large holes in the bones. It also causes ulcers on the ends of arms and legs.
Many names have been given to T.B.White Plague got its name from the pale skin of caucaHons.
It was a~low death compared to Bubonic Plague and Asiatic Cholera. Lungers, aff~~d the lungs
and at consumption, the wasting away of the body, was seen near death with a high consuming
fever.
"'
There were many strange treatments for T.B. In Anci~t' Rome people would
eat the flesh of a female donkey in a broth. They would also swallow "ashes of pig dung mixed
in raisin wine." In the 1820's victims of T.B. wotid rub sulferic acid on their chests after
breathing in warm air. The 1840's had a costly and expensive brown sugar solution as a
treatment. In the 1880's a lethal remedy, poi'tonous hallucenogenis was tried. It was ma,de up of
alcohol, strychnine, chloroform, morphine, cyanide, and mercury. Another remedy was sucking
the milk from the breast of a woman who had just given birth. They also let the blood flow from
the arm hoping for a cure. Surg'ery was also a. form of treatment. They would inject to collapse a
lung, crush nerves, inject solids, remove ribs and cut out injected tissue or organs. i'10st
considered rest at home, to be the best treatment.
Sanitoriums were another form of treatment. It was conidered the best chance for recovery. By
isolating the infection they could prevent spreading the disease. Some of the symptoms of the
infected patients were; red spots on a pillow, coughing, sneezing, pale skin, loss of weight,
sweats, red chetlks, sunken eyes, and palms of hands hot and dry.
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The life in sanitoriums were very strict. 'No talking, rest only, some exercise which depended on
the sanitorium, pure air, water, and food. Many people were bored, lonely, and unhappy.
Between 1830-1850 the sanitoriums were closed. The cure was discovel'ed!
The death rate wa.s the same for thoes who stayed at home.
New scientific findings gave hope to those with tuberculois. 1111865 Jean Antoine Villemin
proved T.R was contageous. But, his findings were not taken seriously. In 1882 Robert Kook
found the microorganism that caused the disease. It was called tubercle bacillus. Today it's called
mycobacterium tuberculosis. In 1890 he developed the T.B. test for the diagnosis of the disease.

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The cause of the di8e:u~e is not inherited. Heredity can influence if you g'et the disease by the
way the body copes with being' exposed. Exposure time and the environment, such as crowded
places like prisons, homeless shelters, cro);'ded apartments, and nursing homes, can influence
getting the disease. Ones physical conditions can also effect your chances of getting' the disease.
Alcoholics, drug abusers, diabetics, cancer, and aids patients increase the chance of getting' T.B.
Drinking contaminated cows milk and eating contaminated meat can also cause the disease.
Pasturized milk is heated to a certain temperature that kills the germs.
Tuberculosis is transmitted through sputim via air dropplets and dust.
There is no incubation period because bacilli remain dorment in your body until there is a
weakening of resistence. T.B. can not be spread when inactive.
There are many symptoms for T.B. such as fever, fatigue, night sweats, loss of appetite, and
weig'ht loss. The disease can also cause coug'hing, sneezing, chest pains, :lnd blood stained
sputum.
Different tests are used for diag'nosis. The Tuberculin test scratches the skin with a protien
substance derived fl'om tubercle bacilli. Chest xrays: are used to help in the diagnosis. Lab tests
look for tubercle bacilli in sputum. ~ ManyT.B. cases: are related to aids.
Treatment is long and expensive. A combination of antibiotics called isoniazad and rifampin are
given over six months. Pyazinamide is taken with other drugs for the first two months. Treatment
can he as long as six months to t",,'"o years. In 1994 a new drug was created with all three
antibiotics in one pill.
There are new strains of tuberculosis now being diagnosed. lVI.D.R. or fllulti-drug-resistance is
one type of strain. It is created when a patient fails to finish all of the medication because they
hegin to feel better. Part of the problem is it takes a long period of time to finish the medication.
Also, overuse of antibiotics can build up a resistance to the drug.
To cure tuerculosis can be very expensive. It only costs $13.00 to cure the disease. Add
$1,000.00 to observe therapy, which is someone watching the patient take the mediction. If the
patient becomes medical-drug-resistant it can cost $100,000.
The future for tuhercullosis is not good. The M.D.R. strains may cause sanitoriums to resurface
as well as forcing' patients into quarantine.
Bibliography
o Hyde, Margret. Know About Tuberculosis. New York: Walker Publishing Co. Inc., 1994.
Landau, Elaine. Tuberculosis. New York: Franklin-Watts, 1995.
Bruss, Glen M Profiles in Medcal History. Pittsburg: Dorrance Publishing Co., Inc., 199B. Ott,
Kathern, Fevered Lives. Cambridge: Harvard University Press., 1996.

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Tuberculosis TUBERCULOSIS The history of tuberculosis proves that it was an ancient deadly disease. Ancient skeletons prove that T.B. has been around since the beginning of mank.ind. The disease leaves large holes in the bones. It also causes ulcers on the ends of arms and legs. Many names have been given to T.B.White Plague got its name from the pale skin of caucaHons. It was a~low death compared to Bubonic Plague and Asiatic Cholera. Lungers, aff~~d the lungs and at consumption, the wasting away of the body, was seen near death with a high consuming fever. "' There were many strange treatments for T.B. In Anci~t' Rome people would eat the flesh of a female donkey in a broth. They would also swallow "ashes of pig dung mixed in raisin wine." In the 1820's victims of T.B. wotid rub sulferic acid on their chests after breathing in warm air. The 1840's had a costly and expensive br ...
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