History of Tuberculosis Essay example -- Medical Biology Disease TB

History of Tuberculosis Abstract This paper discusses the historical aspect of the fatal and contagious disease now known as tuberculosis. It discusses the history of Tuberculosis beginning with Ancient Egyptian mummies to the most current discovery of TB. Greek philosopher such as Hippocrates and Plato observed the first cases of tuberculosis. They are two out of the many people that gradually discovered the TB out of the many. It talks about the different remedies that different philosophers and physicians came about that have been revised. Tuberculosis, also known as â€Å"the white plague,† (The history of tuberculosis 2) is a silent and unknown prehistoric air borne disease that quickly spreads and kills nearly two million people worldwide (Tuberculosis-Revolution). Today, tuberculosis is the most deadly disease known to man, more deadly than HIV/AIDS. Despite advances in treatment, TB is a global pandemic, fueled by the spread of HIV/AIDS, poverty, a lack of health services and the emergence of drug-resistant strains of the bacterium (Tuberulosis-revolution Health). However, TB has an unknown past, and in order to understand tuberculosis, one must know its history. Evidence of Mycobacterial infection has been found in the mummified remains of Ancient Egyptians 1000 B.C. The â€Å"Father of Medicine,† Hippocrates (460-377 B.C), made the first breakthrough in TB research. He named the disease â€Å"phthisis,† which means the â€Å"shrinking of the body,† because the majority of the cases he found occurred in the spinal area. However, the majority of the population of that time commonly called the illness, â€Å"Pott’s disease.† Which is tuberculosis of the spine. The Greeks thought that phthisis was a heredity issue, while others though... ...http://www.revolutionhealth.com/conditions/lung/tuberculosis/tubercul osis?section=section_00>. "Defintion: Sputum from Online Medical Dictionary." 1997-2007. Center of Cancer Education. 29 Jul 2007 . "Healthline-Dictionary Search." Healthline-Scofula. 2005-2007. Center of Cancer Education. 23 Jul 2007 . The History of tuberculosis. 2005-2007. Center of Cancer Education. 23 Jul 2007 . â€Å"Tuberculosis." EncyclopÊdia Britannica. 2007. EncyclopÊdia Britannica Online. 29† July†  2007http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-253299. Brief History of tuberculosis." Brief History of TB. 23 Jul 2007 .