Tuberculosis In The Victorian Era

Victorian Era: Tuberculosis

There were many diseases that spurred up chaos in the Victorian Era. However, there was one in particular that was a mental, as well as physical battle, which went by the name of Tuberculosis. It invaded people’s everyday thoughts, and completely changed their minds about the natural processes of life. During the 19th century, a great 70 to 90 percent of people were infected with Tuberculosis, and most of the people that contracted it, died as a result ("Tuberculosis in Europe and North America, 1800–1922"). Tuberculosis was a major disease that affected the people of the Victorian Era greatly; throughout the 19th century people were searching for the cause, enduring the effects, and researching for a solution.

People could contract the disease by many means, but it is triggered by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which contaminates the lungs, resulting in the sickness of Tuberculosis.

It is highly infectious, and can be passed on by contaminated particles in the air (Lerner and Lerner). However, since there was limited technology during the era, there were many different theories regarding the cause. Many considered the possibility of emotional causes. “Limited scientific knowledge regarding disease pathology opened the door to inductive speculation that tuberculosis might be caused directly or indirectly by the emotion, imagination, and creativity so obvious in its most famous victims.” (Boan 705-709) People believed that an individual could get the disease just from being too artistic or creative. Because of this, many strayed away from being open to artistic skills, or expressing creativity. In addition, Tuberculosis was also being associated with poverty and the environment. “…tuberculosis was also considered to be a sign of poverty or an inevitable outcome of the process of industrial civilization. About 40% of working-class deaths in cities were from tuberculosis.” ("Tuberculosis in Europe and North America, 1800–1922") There were many possible causes that the people of the Victorian Era were trying to figure out, though they were about to start a new journey of experiencing the actual effects of this unmerciful

disease.
During the 19th century there wasn’t a great amount of medical technology to explain what Tuberculosis could actually do to the body, so many believed that the disease also caused creativity and a great sense of imagination.

However, there were physical effect of course such as: flu-like symptoms, cough, spirting of blood, weight loss, and wasting of the muscles (Landow). Many suffered during this time and there is even one account regarding a family that contracted the disease and spread it among themselves. “The classic case was that of the Brontë family, seven of whom died from the disease, bin other notable Victorian families such as the Trollopes and the Oliphants also suffered. John was later (1863) to become a close friend of George MacDonald the writer. MacDonalds mother had died of the disease in 1833 when he was eight and George himself survived repeated attacks of consumption starting in 1850. He lost his fourteen year-old half sister Isabella in 1855 and his father and brother John to the disease in 1858. Four of MacDonalds own children died later; two of them within a year of each other. Another child. Grace, survived childhood but died in 1884 after giving birth to a baby who also died of the same disease.”

(Landow)
Since the development of antibiotics wasn’t until the 1940s, there were many ways to diagnose Tuberculosis, not cure it. Although there were ways people thought they could prevent it. People would avoid “bad air” and activities that involved being unique and artistic such as poetry and pursing music (Boan 705-709). People also avoided crowds, which wasn’t unusual considering it was highly contagious. But as far as diagnosing it, some doctors used x-rays, which was one of the major tools used to diagnose. However, when antibiotics were discovered there was one that was able to hold off Tuberculosis, but after a while it became useless. However, in the present day, there is medicine that is used and taken for many months to treat Tuberculosis.
In the Victorian Era many people suffered from Tuberculosis, and they went through many trials and tribulations searching for answers for his horrid disease. Tuberculosis was a disease that confused many with how to prevent it, how it came about, and how to stop the untreatable fast-pacing sickness. So next time you’re discussing history, and you want to sound smart, bring up one the biggest diseases of the Victorian Era. Tuberculosis