Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by the bacteria known as Mycobacteria tuberculosis. It was called Phthisis in ancient Greece and Tabes in ancient Rome. Egyptian mummies dating back to 2400 BC reveal skeletal deformities typical of TB. Documents from India which are more than 3000 years old describe TB.
In ancient Greece, lung TB was described by Hippocrates, Galen, and Aristotle suggested that it was contagious. Peruvian mummies from the Andes showed skeletal evidence of TB confirming that it existed there before the Europeans arrived in South America. Ancient Chinese, Roman, Byzantine, and Middle. East Physicians knew the contagious nature of the disease and have described it.
Throughout the Middle Ages, many persons contributed to our understanding of the disease. In 1834, Johann Schonlein named it Tuberculosis. On 24th March 1882, Robert Koch announced the discovery of Mycobacteria tuberculosis, the....
