What did dying of consumption mean in the 1800s?

Answer 1

Tuberculosis, which was a slow, painful, inevitable death.
Also meant that people around you were likely to catch the disease as well.

Answer 2

Is Consumption Tuberculosis

Answer 3

Tuberculosis: a common and deadly infectious disease caused by mycobacteria.

Over one-third of the world's population now has the TB bacterium in their bodies and new infections are occurring at a rate of one per second.

In 2004, 14.6 million people had active TB and there were 8.9 million new cases and 1.7 million deaths, mostly in developing countries. In addition, a rising number of people in the developed world are contracting tuberculosis because their immune systems are compromised by immunosuppressive drugs, substance abuse or HIV/AIDS.

This disease has dated back 17,000 years, far longer ago than the 1800's.

It was not until 1946 with the development of the antibiotic streptomycin that effective treatment and cure became possible. Prior to the introduction of this drug, the only treatment besides sanatoria were surgical interventions, including the pneumothorax technique—collapsing an infected lung to "rest" it and allow lesions to heal—a technique that was of little benefit and was largely discontinued by the 1950s. The emergence of multidrug-resistant TB has again introduced surgery as part of the treatment for these infections. Here, surgical removal of chest cavities will reduce the number of bacteria in the lungs, as well as increasing the exposure of the remaining bacteria to drugs in the bloodstream, and is therefore thought to increase the effectiveness of the chemotherapy.[

Answer 4

Consumption is the former name for Tuberculosis (as mentioned above). In modern Western society over consumption is responsible for more premature deaths than 'consumption'.

Answer 5

Consumption = Tuberculosis

Before the germ that causes TB was discovered in 1882, TB was known in popular terms as the "white plague" or "consumption".

In the 19th century, the disease was so prevalent that it took on a strangely romanticized reputation.

"Consumption" was thought to be a disease that particularly afflicted refined, spiritual persons such as artists, writers, and the cultural elite.

It is estimated that TB was responsible for 1 billion deaths worldwide during the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Answer 6

Dying hasn't changed much over the centuries, except it's gotten whiter. That's particularly true in the case of tuberculosis.

Dying of tuberculosis used to be a fairly messy affair, lots of bloody rags lying around, dark smelly rooms.

Now it's usually clean, sheets changed daily, nurse comes in and helps the person to the bathroom, or with the bedpan.

Kleenex instead of handkerchiefs.

Answer 7

Tuberculosis. Edgar Allan Poe's wife Virginia Clemm died of what was then known as "consumption"

Answer 8

What Was Consumption

Answer 9

consumption is the same thing as tuberculosis

Answer 10

tuberculosis - one of the most common causes of death in the 19th century