The Conquest of TuberculosisThe Conquest of Tuberculosis chronicles the long and arduous battle against one of humanity's most devastating diseases. Tuberculosis, often called the "great white plague," has plagued humankind for millennia, recognized in ancient civilizations and documented in Biblical texts. Known for its destructive impact on various organs and its high mortality rates, tuberculosis earned infamy as the number-one killer throughout history. This book delves into the historical understanding of the disease, its varied nomenclature, and its profound socioeconomic effects, especially as it afflicted not only humans but also their livestock and other domestic animals. The narrative transitions from the historical recognition of tuberculosis to the revolutionary scientific advancements that have shaped modern treatments. Central to this transformation was the development of antibiotics, particularly streptomycin, discovered by the author and his team in 1943. This breakthrough, followed by successful experimental applications, marked the beginning of a new era in combating tuberculosis. Combining historical context with personal anecdotes and scientific exploration, the book captures the journey from ancient misconceptions to modern medical triumphs, offering an inspiring testament to human ingenuity and resilience in the face of a relentless disease. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1964. Many titles in the Voices Revived program are also newly available as ebooks, offered at a discounted price to support wider access to scholarly work. |
Contents
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page | 29 |
page | 48 |
page | 67 |
page | 103 |
page | 119 |
page | 147 |
page | 175 |
page | 193 |
Bibliography page | 219 |
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Common terms and phrases
actinomycetes active afflicted agent ancient animals antibiotics antituberculous bacilli bacteria cause cent century chemotherapy chemotherapy of tuberculosis cities clinical clinicians consumption contagious cough countries culosis culture cure death rate diagnosis Drolet drug Dubos early effect of streptomycin eradication of tuberculosis experimental experiments Feldman fever Flick forms of tuberculosis Hinshaw Hippocrates hospital human infection infectious diseases inoculated isolated isoniazid Koch Koch's laboratory Laënnec later living losis lungs Mayo Clinic microbes miliary miliary tuberculosis morbidity mortality from tuberculosis mycin Mycobacterium tuberculosis nature of tuberculosis observed patients period phthisis physicians pneumothorax population possible present problem produced pulmonary tuberculosis reported resistant sanatoria sanatorium saprophytic scrofula soil sputum strepto streptomycin streptothricin substance suffering synthetic compounds therapy tion toxicity treatment of tuberculosis Trudeau tuber tubercle bacilli tuberculin Tuberculosis Chart Series tuberculosis death tuberculosis mortality tuberculosis organism tuberculous meningitis United various Villemin viomycin Waksman