Tuberculosis

Known historically as “consumption,” Tuberculosis is a bacterial infectious disease which primarily affects the lungs and is spread through airborne transmission in coughs, spit, and sneezes. Fever, hemoptysis, and weight loss are common symptoms, and Tuberculosis can result in death if left untreated.

Image: Lewis Hine, Annie Maier (or Meyer), making Campbell-Kids’ pinafores in her basement home, 71 [?] E. 108th St. She was reported to have tuberculosis. New York. New York, 1911. Courtesy Library of Congress.