Fevered Lives: Tuberculosis in American Culture Since 1870

Historian of science, medicine and society at the Smithsonian, Ott gathers threads from cultural history, politics, social commentary and medicine in her consideration of the history of tuberculosis. Her narrative is an uncomfortable reminder that the practice of medicine has always been fallible. The parallels of last century's tuberculosis epidemic with this century's AIDS epidemic are unmistakable and are drawn explicitly in the final chapter, which deals with the current ""reemergence"" of tuberculosis and its intersection with AIDS. After Robert Koch (in 1882) demonstrated that a bacillus was the cause of tuberculosis, the romanticized ""consumption"" was metamorphosed into a feared epidemic disease. As Ott weaves her story of tuberculosis from the lives of those afflicted by it and the society that felt compelled to battle it, flashes of insight emerge: Why the dark, plush, musty Victorian interiors were replaced by bright, spare, ventilated ""modern homes."" How medical education was transformed in the early 1900s. Although generally objective, in the final chapter Ott allows herself some politically correct grandstanding. A few minor medical misconceptions crop up in the narrative. Extensive references accompany each chapter, making this an excellent resource as well as an interesting read. (Jan.)