Tuberculosis in 1870

[Kelownagurl]

I'm not sure where to post this so trying it here. 

Can anyone point me to a site that has information about the progression and treatment of TB in late 1800's? I'd like to know typical length of illness, symptoms, etc.

My GGgrandparents both died young of TB.  Elijah was 27, leaving his pregnant wife and 2 children in Dec 1874. His wife Elizabeth had their third child the following spring (1875), remarried that summer, had a child with her new husband in April 1876, and then died of TB herself in June 1876, only 2 years after Elijah.

I'd like to to know if she would have likely caught TB from Elijah and suffered from it for two years, or if it has a shorter progression.  Also, what would it have been like to have TB when pregnant and giving birth?

None of their children, nor her 2nd husband died of TB.

This took place in Victoria, BC, Canada

Thanks for any help you might be able to give me.

[Viktoria]

Hello, well time etc could vary, the main factor was how ell the patient was fed, what conditions they lived in etc.
It also seemed to go slower in older people, faster in the young when it was often called "Galloping Consumption".
It is an airborne infection so just breathing the same air as a victim could be enough.
The exhaled bacilli would be in the exhaled air  from the infected lungs.
A well fed person, living in warm dry conditirons, aired bed etc with access to fresh air would have a better chance than a poorly fed person housed in damp slum conditions with no access to clean air, sharing a bed with siblings and no open bedroom windows because of the cold in a damp, poorly heated house.
Very often they died from bleeding from their lungs called --can`t bring it to mind--coming up through the mouth. Very distressing to say the  .
The coughed up sputum is highly infectious, loaded with the tubercle germs
Untreated milk(not TT tested) can carry it but then it is usually found in glands or bones.
Strangely, many composers and artists had it and there does seem to be a very productive stage just before the final great struggle . Also people have heightened senses and are therefore very
romantic even promiscuous,  Chopin was a classic example of great works just before death.He was so ill at the villa he shared with George Sands on Majorca(or Minorca)it was so damp.
The patients got lovely skin, beautifully soft and so pink flushed , bright eyes and were very attractive so that with heightened senses -- well--use your imagination. 
A very tragic disease.
Sanitoria where the patients were exposed to hours and hours of fresh air whatever the weather ,under verandaswere the only real help but then ith I think the advent of streptomycin things got better.
.I am willing to be corrected on this.
Hope this helps.You may get better details from other RootsChatters.Viktoria.

[Kelownagurl]

Hello, well time etc could vary, the main factor was how ell the patient was fed, what conditions they lived in etc.
It also seemed to go slower in older people, faster in the young when it was often called "Galloping Consumption".
It is an airborne infection so just breathing the same air as a victim could be enough.
The exhaled bacilli would be in the exhaled air  from the infected lungs.
A well fed person, living in warm dry conditirons, aired bed etc with access to fresh air would have a better chance than a poorly fed person housed in damp slum conditions with no access to clean air, sharing a bed with siblings and no open bedroom windows because of the cold in a damp, poorly heated house.
Very often they died from bleeding from their lungs called --can`t bring it to mind--coming up through the mouth. Very distressing to say the  .
The coughed up sputum is highly infectious, loaded with the tubercle germs
Untreated milk(not TT tested) can carry it but then it is usually found in glands or bones.
Strangely, many composers and artists had it and there does seem to be a very productive stage just before the final great struggle . Also people have heightened senses and are therefore very
romantic even promiscuous,  Chopin was a classic example of great works just before death.He was so ill at the villa he shared with George Sands on Majorca(or Minorca)it was so damp.
The patients got lovely skin, beautifully soft and so pink flushed , bright eyes and were very attractive so that with heightened senses -- well--use your imagination. 
A very tragic disease.
Sanitoria where the patients were exposed to hours and hours of fresh air whatever the weather ,under verandaswere the only real help but then ith I think the advent of streptomycin things got better.
.I am willing to be corrected on this.
Hope this helps.You may get better details from other RootsChatters.Viktoria.

This is wonderful, detailed information, Viktoria, and it helps a lot!  Thanks for taking the time to write it all out for me!!

[coombs]

My ancestor's first wife died in November 1863 of "Phthisis, years, certified". The exact amount of years was not stated but it must have been 2 years or more. Phthisis is TB in the lungs. They lived in a terraced street in the north of Brighton, Sussex and they had hardly any money so I would think the conditions were not good. She was 42 at the time so probably had been feeling ill for some time prior to her death. She was buried in a paupers grave.

TB was not proven to be contagious until 1882 when Robert Koch proved it to be contagious.

[Kelownagurl]

My ancestor's first wife died in November 1863 of "Phthisis, years, certified". The exact amount of years was not stated but it must have been 2 years or more. Phthisis is TB in the lungs. They lived in a terraced street in the north of Brighton, Sussex and they had hardly any money so I would think the conditions were not good. She was 42 at the time so probably had been feeling ill for some time prior to her death. She was buried in a paupers grave.

TB was not proven to be contagious until 1882 when Robert Koch proved it to be contagious.

That's similar for my family too.  My GGgrandfather's death certificate said Plithsis (1874) and his wife's death certificate (1876) said Tubercular Disease of Lungs, Class lll. ________ (illegible word) .  They lived on a farm. I don't know how well they lived but I don't imagine they were wealthy. Victoria was a fairly new colony at the time and life was pretty rough unless you were rich.

[Josephine]

If you do a search on Phthisis on the Internet Archive (select "Search full text of books" under the search bar), you'll get thousands of hits:

https://archive.org/index.php

In the margin on the left of the results page, you'll see it's broken down into categories, which include patient, disease, cases and public health. Clicking on those might help narrow it down.

Take a look at what comes up. There must be another search term that would help narrow down the results so you get more of what you're looking for (hopefully).

You could also search on tuberculosis and see if anything different comes up.

Happy hunting!

Regards,
Josephine

[Viktoria]

I have remembered that word for bleeding from the mouth but originating in the lungs when T.B is present- Haemopthysis  or   Haemoptysis.
There are open cavities in the lungs and they bleed profusely.How distressing that must be.
My aunt died ( before I was born)in 1929 from that.
She worked in an office where an old man worked . He had T.B and coughed and spat.
In those days it was very common to have spittoons in public places and offices.
As little office girl it was her job to clean that------- :-
She succumbed very quickly, but he still lived.
Viktoria.

[coombs]

There is also phthisis bulbi which is eye consumption.

I have also heard that people with TB did get a libido rush.

[medpat]

My uncle got TB late 1950s and was admitted to an isolation hospital, a few months later my cousin (his daughter) was admitted aged 6, later that year my 70 yr old grandmother was admitted. Uncle was in there over a year, my cousin was in just a few weeks and my grandmother 3 months.

When I had my test for the TB injection 3 years later I had a reaction and didn't need the TB injection because I'd been in contact with TB and had fought it off so had antibodies already. My sister however didn't have a reaction and had the injection yet we'd been in contact with the people who had TB at the same time.