Commonly known as: Pulmonary Tuberculosis (TB)
Just found this on The Great War Forum:
Phthisis literally refers to 'wasting'. It derives from the Greek word 'phthino', which means 'to waste away'.
Phthisis pneumonalis refers to pulmonary TB. This is because TB in the lungs frequently caused severe weight loss and wasting of the body. Other severe lung conditions may cause wasting due to the workload that breathing imposes on the body. However, these conditions are very unlikely in younger men compared with TB. The presence of lung disease without wasting would be unlikely to be called phthisis pulmonalis.
