First Antibiotic Remedy for Tuberculosis Discovered, 1943

The name of the drug was streptomycin, and it was the first antibiotic isolated to treat tuberculosis. It was discovered by Albert Schatz, a graduate student at Rutgers University, although he didn’t initially get the credit. That honor went to his supervisor, Selman Waksman, who received the Nobel Prize in 1952 for the achievement. Schatz sued him for credit and royalties, and was awarded both in an out-of-court settlement.

There are some diseases that seem to come and go over the centuries. The “sweating sickness ” that plagued the Tudor era, for example, has by now so thoroughly disappeared that we’re not even sure what it was. Tuberculosis definitely doesn’t fall into that category of diseases, however. It has been around, apparently, for as long as man has been on the planet.

Neolithic human remains dating back to 7000 BC show that humans had tuberculosis even then. Egyptian mummies dating back to 3000 BC also show tubercular decay. Even before that, there is evidence that bison 18,000 years ago had a type of tuberculosis. We don’t know if the disease traveled from cattle to human or vice versa, or if the two strains both go back to a human ancestor.

Hippocrates dealt with the subject of the disease, which was then called phthisis, noting that it was almost always fatal. His advice to doctors was simple: disassociate yourself with the case before it came to its final stages. Otherwise, your reputation as a healer was likely to be compromised. (Doesn’t exactly fit the image we have of Hippocrates, does it?)

Tuberculosis was identified as a communicable disease early on, although the means of contagion wasn’t always so obvious. Before the Industrial Revolution, TB was thought of as a type of vampirism. After one family member had died of the disease, it was frequently noted, the other family members gradually came to lose their health as well. TB victims tended to have pale skin, red eyes that were sensitive to sunlight, and a cool body. They were known to have a faint heartbeat and to cough blood. It was believed that the dead and dying were replenishing their strength by stealing from the living, and slowly assimilating their life force. The disease wasn’t called “consumption” for nothing.

Other theories held that the tubercular were losing their strength because they were being forced to attend fairy revels, night after night. Witchcraft was also looked to as a contributing cause. By the early 20th century, some held that the victims of tuberculosis were losing their strength through excessive masturbation.

A particular form of tuberculosis of the lymph nodes was known as scrofula, and scrofula had its own mythology. It was also called the “King’s Evil” and it was believed that it could be healed by the touch of the sovereign, in both France and England. The lore attributed the healing power of the monarch to the divine right of kings, and traced its origin to King Edward the Confessor. There was a tradition in both countries for the King to touch the afflicted, and then present them with a coin. The practice continued in England until 1712, when King George I stopped it; he considered the rite to be “too Catholic.”

By the early 19th century it was known that tuberculosis was a contagious disease, and the ill were isolated as much as possible. In 1859 the first sanatorium opened in Poland, and others soon followed. The purpose of sanatoriums was not only to keep the ill away from the healthy, but to allow the patients to recover their strength with the aid of rest, good food, and fresh air. Sanatoria sprang up in many countries, but Switzerland was especially known for them.

By the early 20th century, TB victims were also flocking to the Southwest United States, particularly Arizona. Many who went to the area depleted their life savings just getting there, arriving in the Southwest penniless. In addition to more traditional sanatoria, TB camps were formed in the desert, with the afflicted pitching tents and building cabins.

One of the more interesting sites for tuberculosis facilities was Mammoth Cave, which was used by its owner, Dr. John Croghan, as a hospital for the tubercular in the years 1838-1845. Croghan brought a number of patients to the cave, where he believed the pure cave air and constant temperature would help them recover. It didn’t work — they all died within a year, and eventually Croghan also contracted the disease.

With the increased knowledge that tuberculosis was a communicable disease, public concern for the treatment of tuberculosis victims increased world-wide. In England, TB became a “notifiable disease” in the early 1900’s. In the United States, many communities banned the practice of spitting in the streets, just because of the risk of infection. Spittoons became a common site in both public and private settings.

Before the discovery of streptomycin, the most common treatment for tuberculosis was surgery. One common procedure was the pneumothorax technique, which involved collapsing a lung to allow it to “rest” and to allow the lesions to heal. It was not particularly effective, and was largely done away with following the discovery of effective antibiotics.

In the hundred years between 1850 and 1950, occurrences of tuberculosis fell dramatically. In Europe, for example, deaths from TB fell from 500 out of 100,000 to 50 out of 100,000 during those years. Hope was high that the disease could be completely eradicated. However, this was not to be.

Drug-resistant and multi-drug resistant strains have arisen since the 1970’s, and the disease seems to be gaining ground. Today, one-third of the world’s population is thought to be infected with TB, with new infections arising at the rate of about one every second. Although the proportion of the infected is constantly falling, the absolute number of new cases is rising, due to the continually increasing world population. In the United States, only about 5% to 10% of the population tests positive for tuberculosis, but in certain countries in Asia and Africa, the incidence is as high as 80%. Tuberculosis was declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organization in 1993.

Sources: Chase’s Calendar of Events, 2011 Edition: The Ultimate Go-To Guide for Special Days, Weeks, and Months , Editors of Chase’s Calendar of Events; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_19 ; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streptomycin ; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuberculosis ; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanatorium ; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrofula ; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Schatz_(scientist) ; http://www.umdnj.edu/ntbc/tbhistory.htm ; http://www.news-medical.net/health/History-of-Tuberculosis.aspx ; http://www.faculty.virginia.edu/blueridgesanatorium/tuberculosis.html .


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