Susan Sontag 's The Devil 's Bait

In the late 1800’s to 1900’s a white plague broke out in the United States called tuberculosis (TB), the need for medical attention was both high and demanding.“El Paso 's climate, characterized by mild winters, low rainfall and humidity and abundant

Susan introduces and explores the literal meaning of illness by citing evidence of the widespread treatments to cancer and tuberculosis patients. She argues in the chapter 1 that “cancer patients are lied to, not just because the disease is death sentence, but because it is felt to be obscene” (9). Susan organizes the discussion centering on the theme that illness divides people apart in the rest of the chapter. She uses the example of cardiac patients who are not so much avoided by relatives and friend because they consider cardiac is a mechanism failure, unlike cancer is caused by something obscene. She ascribes theses commonly found phenomenon to the effect of metaphors. “The metaphors attached to TB and to cancer imply living processes of a particularly resonant and horrid kind” (9). I like the second part of the essay where she explains the phenomenon by associating it with metaphor. It introduces the title of the book, Illness as Metaphor, and intrigue me to read further.

Carol Karlsen 's "The Devil in the Shape of a Woman” was written to provide the reader with an understanding of the role of the “witch” in colonial New England. During the early colonial period, pilgrims lived in a male-dominated society and the classical witch hunts were conducted in an attempt to maintain this societal structure. Since these hunts were placed under a religious guise, it was simple for these individuals to act as if they were maintaining the safety and justice of society. Karlsen explains that in many instances, women who were labelled as witches were often females that had managed to acquire great economic and social status and society. In fear of these women, the neighborhood targeted them and called them witches to weaken their power. Independent of guilt, women who were accused of witchcraft could not possibly recovered. If they claimed their innocence, they would be stoned or burned to death because the counsel would decide that they were not being truthful. If they admitted to their guilt, their place in society would be marred and they would be embarrassed for partaking in these evil acts. Through this violence, men have been able to maintain their place in Puritan society. In her book, Karlsen aims to provide the reader new insight into the witch trials, demonstrating the societal, rather than religious causes for this well-known historic tragedy.

Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, the bacteria that causes TB, has existed for centuries. The oldest recorded account of TB can be found in the literature by Hippocrates from around 460 BC (Tranotti, n.d.). However, at this point the infection was referred to as phthisis. Now at this time, this disease seemed to spell out the inevitable death for its prey. Hippocrates went so far as to advise his colleagues in the medical field to stay away from patients of the viral disease in order for the physicians not to lose their reputations due to the inevitability of their deaths. Later, in 1679, Dr. Franciscus Sylvius identified the anatomy and pathology of the disease. He was the first to identify actual tubercles, abscesses, and cavities in the lungs of patients as a result of the virus which led to its naming of Tuberculosis (A History of Tuberculosis Treatment, n.d.). About forty years later, English physician Benjamin Martin

By the 19th century, Tuberculosis or “consumption,” also known as “The Forgotten Plague,” had killed nearly one in seven of all the persons who had ever lived in America. This “plague” affected nearly everyone who lived in America, whether it was their father, mother, sister, or brother. It affected women, men, and even children. These victims suffered from bloody hacking coughing, unbearable pain, and fatigue. At this time, no one knew what caused it and how to cure it. Many believed the sickness was passed on hereditarily and that only certain people would stem this illness depending upon their genes. Little did they know, that this infectious disease was spread through coughing and close contact with people who had “consumption”. The role “consumption” played in affecting American History is very important for the fact that it helped with developments in better health laws, better social habits, and better medicine and treatments for sickness.

Tuberculosis is considered to be another surfacing disease. According to the Institute of Medicine, they believe the sole reason of the resurgence of tuberculosis is the increase in immunosuppressed populations. In industrialized countries, peoples

And had noticed that fresh air and outdoor living could sometimes change the course of the illness. So naturally rumors surrounded the town in a fury claiming that the West was like Eden. That the West was health-giving, that people who had this disease went out there and became healthy and strong. And we had begun to get this image of the West as a place to go because you would get better. Come West and be cured. Come west and get life. Father was so consumed with fatigue, he could barely get out of bed, much less stand, which means that I couldn’t get him outside and away from this sickened place. The organism causing tuberculosis - Mycobacterium tuberculosis existed 15,000 to 20,000 years ago. It has been found in relics from ancient Egypt, India, and China. Among Egyptian mummies spinal tuberculosis, known as Pott’s disease have been detected by

Tuberculosis (Mycobacterium tuberculosis), also known as TB, is a disease spread by respiratory inhalation of droplets that contain the bacteria. Tuberculosis is an ancient disease that has been traced back at least 9000 years. In 1882, Dr. Robert Koch was the first physician to describe Mycobacterium tuberculosis as the germ responsible for tuberculosis. However, treatment that was evidenced based was not put into practice until the 20th century. It is estimated that 2 billion people around the world are infected with the TB bacteria. Approximately 5 to 10 percent of these infected people will actual develop active TB and experience the life-threatening symptoms of the disease. Tuberculosis

270). 1978 had the lowest recorded number of tuberculosis cases of 1,307. The cases continued to increase until 1992 with a peak number of cases at 3,811. According to the scientists this resurgence of tuberculosis was due to many factors that include factors such as increased homelessness, poverty, drug use, and immigration from areas with high tuberculosis rates (Sticof, DiFerdinando, Osten, & Novick, 1998, p. 270). It is interesting that as tuberculosis was in decline prior to the 1980s when it is thought healthcare was not as good as today’s healthcare. This is an example of how when all the factors occur at the same time a disease could spring up at any time.

Tuberculosis has been one of the most fatal diseases since the beginning of history. However, it was especially dangerous during the Victorian Era. All Victorians experienced the distress of tuberculosis in some way, making it a tremendous problem for society at the time. The eternal search for an effective, absolute cure of this dreaded disease has lasted for centuries, from the Ancient Egyptians on the Nile, to modern times. Nevertheless, several crucial leaps were made in the medical field during the Victorian Era that helped to curb the toll of tuberculosis on society.

Murphy and Blank chronicle the story of the tuberculosis microorganism, the greatest serial killer of all time.Tuberculosis has been infecting people for millions of years and has killed many humans. This fascinating tale unfolds as a biography of a germ, an account of the treatment and search for cures, and a social history of the disease.This is the story of a killer that has been striking people down for thousands of years.After centuries of ineffective treatments, the microorganism that causes TB was identified, and the cure was thought to be within reach--but drug-resistant varieties continue to plague and panic the human race. The "biography" of this deadly germ, an account of the diagnosis, treatment, and "cure" of the disease over time,and

The Study of Infectious Disease, Tuberculosis, and How It Affects the Human BodyAyanna ZaragozaChesterfield High School

TB is one of the world’s oldest diseases. Early in the 17 century, Dr. Benjamin Martin, an English doctor linked transmission of the germ from a sick individual to others around him through close contact. It was referred to as “Captain Among these Men of Death” during the 18th and 19th centuries due to the number of people in North America and Europe infected and killed by this bacteria (Daniel, 2006). Based on historical evidence, TB can be traced back as far as 5,000 years in Egypt. The germ was continuously spread as those infected migrated to different regions. TB was considered to be a disease that was inherited in Northern Europe and

Tuberculosis, also known as (TB) has been around for decades and is still active across the globe. It was a huge threat to Europe and America in The 19th century. Tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis. An individual can become infected with the disease while breathing in the bacteria that is spread through the air droplets when a person coughs or speaks. TB mainly affects the lungs, however, it can attack other organs also. Tuberculosis can be fatal if not treated promptly. “There is paleopathological evidence that Tuberculosis has been around 8000 BCE and evidence of bony tuberculosis has been found dating from the Neolithic period in 5800 BCE and in Egyptian mummies dating to 2400 BCE” (Riello et al., 2016).

TB has been around as far as ancient times. According to Medical News Today, evidenced of it’s presence were found in the preserved spines of Egyptian mummies. A tuberculosis epidemic broke out in the 18th and 19th century. Robert Koch a modern microbiologist discovered the bacteria that caused the disease. This lead to the discovery of vaccines to help eliminate the disease. Tuberculosis is still rampant but it is curable and also could be prevented.