1806 — Tuberculosis (Phthisis Pulmonalis), New York City (2,225 deaths all causes) — 354

–354  Jones. Contagious and Infectious Diseases. 1884, p. 193.[1]

Blanchard note: The first US Census to show State mortality data was not until 1850.

Narrative Information

Tuberculosis: “Tuberculosis (TB)[2] is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The bacteria usually attack the lungs, but TB bacteria can attack any part of the body such as the kidney, spine, and brain. Not everyone infected with TB bacteria becomes sick. As a result, two TB-related conditions exist: latent TB infection (LTBI) and TB disease….TB bacteria are spread through the air from one person to another. The TB bacteria are put into the air when a person with TB disease of the lungs or throat coughs, speaks, or sings. People nearby may breathe in these bacteria and become infected.

 

“TB is NOT spread by:           Shaking someone’s hand.                   Sharing food or drink.

Touching bed lines or toilet seats.      Sharing toothbrushes.

Kissing.

 

“When a person breathes in TB bacteria, the bacteria can settle in the lungs and begin to grow… they can move through the blood to other parts of the body, such as the kidney, spine, and brain.

 

“TB disease in the lungs or throat can be infectious. This means that the bacteria can be spread to other people. TB in other parts of the body, such as the kidney or spine, is usually not infectious.

 

“People with TB disease are most likely to spread it to people they spend time with every day. This includes family members, friends, and coworkers or schoolmates.” (CDC. Tuberculosis (TB). 3-20-2016 update.)

 

Sources

 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Tuberculosis (TB). 3-20-2016 update. Accessed 10-16-2018 at: https://www.cdc.gov/tb/topic/basics/default.htm

 

Jones, Joseph, M.D., President, Louisiana Board of Health. Contagious and Infectious Diseases, Measures for Their Prevention and Arrest. Small Pox (Variola)… (Circular No. 2, Prepared for the Guidance of the Quarantine Officers and Sanitary Inspectors of the Board of Health of the State of Louisiana.). Baton Rouge: Leon Jastremski, State Printer, 1884. Accessed 2-12-2015 at: https://books.google.com/books?id=3VTboPycbBgC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

Wikipedia. “Tuberculosis.” Accessed 6-27-2019 at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuberculosis

[1] Table: “Introduction of Vaccination into New York. Total Deaths from all Causes, and from Small-Pox, Measles, Scarlet Fever and Phthisis-Pulmonalis in the City of New York during a Period of Fifty Years, 1804-1853.”

[2] The term “tuberculosis,” according to Wikipedia, was coined by J. L. Schönlein in 1839. Notes other names used were phthisis, phthisis pulmonalis, and consumption (deriving from weight loss).