Tuberculosis Poster, Early Twentieth Century
This poster was part of a public health campaign that tried to halt the spread of TB. It is from the USA.
Courtesy of Wikipedia.Courtesy of Wikipedia.
Tuberculosis Poster, Early Twentieth Century
This poster was part of a public health campaign that tried to halt the spread of TB. It is from the USA.
Courtesy of Wikipedia.Tuberculosis (TB) is a deadly infectious diease that mainly affects the lungs. In the past, tuberculosis was called consumption, because it seemed to consume people from within, with a bloody cough, fever, and long, relentless wasting away.
TB is spread very easily and quickly in any population, as it is very infectious. It spreads when a person with TB of the lungs or throat coughs, sneezes or talks. It was a very big problem across Europe in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
It was not until 1946 that effective antibiotic treatment and cure for this illness became possible. Although TB is now almost eliminated in many wealthy countries, it is still very common in many parts of the world. It is most likely to affect the poor, and is spread very easily in conditions of famine, war and homelessness. A lack of medical care in these conditions contributes to its spread.