Synopsis

By the dawn of the nineteenth century, tuberculosis, the deadliest disease in human history, had claimed the lives of nearly one in every seven people ever born. Throughout the 1800s, it ravaged America with relentless force, impacting communities and nearly every family. The struggle against this deadly bacteria profoundly shaped the nation, influencing medical and scientific endeavors, social customs, economic growth, westward expansion, and governmental policy. Yet, both the disease itself an