What did my great grandmother die of?

[ColinBignell]

For how long was TB a major issue? So many people seemed to die from it.

Globally, it is the second biggest cause of death from infectious disease after Covid-19. It is rarely a killer in the UK these days, but there are over 4,000 new notifications each year in the UK. I don't know the proportion today, but when AIDS first made the news, it was the cause of death of one in three people with HIV, which corresponded to the proportion of the population who carried TB in its dormant state.

[Viktoria]

Improved living conditions were a major factor in cases going down.
Sadly many people from more primitive countries with poor living conditions often have it and when leaving a sunny country to live in a dampish atmosphere,by comparison , sadly with poor health generally ,they can fall victims to it.

It traditionally went  fast in young people. “ Galloping Consumption.”
Older people lived much longer ,but there were many restrictions, their own cup and cutlery ,strict hygiene regarding their coughing , handkerchiefs etc.
No boxes of tissues in those days.
It gave people a lovely bright complexion ,but that was due to low blood oxygen levels from their damaged lungs.
That is Pulmonary Tuberculosis ,it can be in bones ,glands and other organs.

Viktoria.

[Rena]

In the 1950s  most of my male friends were conscripted into H.M. Forces.  It was a surprise to discover during his medical examination that one of them had tuberculosis .

He didn't cough, wasn't in pain, etc. but the result of the examination meant he was shipped off to a T.B. sanitarium in the south of England where he had his own room. Every day his bed was wheeled out into the fresh air.   I think he stayed there for over a year until discharged.