Clavis Libri

Term

Tuberculosis

An infectious disease, above all of the lungs, whose bacterium was identified by Robert Koch in 1882. It causes chronic cough with blood in the sputum, fever, night sweats and weight loss. Before antibiotics, the treatment was rest in sanatoriums, and around 1916 about half of those admitted died within five years. It was also called phthisis.

Where It Appears