One-third of the world's population is currently
infected with the TB bacillus and up to ten per cent of
these individuals will go on to develop tuberculosis.
Today the disease is most prevalent in Africa and South
Asia, but a century and a half ago it was the largest
single cause of death in Europe and North America. In
"Tuberculosis Then and Now", leading scholars and new
researchers in the field reflect on the changing
medical, social, and cultural understanding of the
disease and engage in a wider debate about the role of
narrative in the social history of medicine and how it
informs current debates and issues surrounding the
treatment of tuberculosis and other infectious diseases.
Through a case study of the history of tuberculosis and
its treatment, this collection examines medicine and
health care from the perspectives of class, race, and
gender, providing a challenging and refreshing addition
to the field of bacteria-centred accounts of the history
of medicine. Contributors of this title include Peter
Atkins (University of Durham), David Barnes (University
of Pennsylvania), Alison Bashford (Harvard and
University of Sidney), Tim Boon (Science Museum,
London), Linda Bryder (University of Auckland), Flurin
Condrau (University of Manchester), Jorge Molero-Messa
(Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona), Helen Valier
(University of Houston), John Welshman (University of
Lancaster), and Michael Worboys (University of
Manchester).
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