Daily AncestorTuberculosis
Tuberculosis was the scientific name for consumption and for the same disease in other organs; certificates of the 1900s were asked to name the organ.
J. L. Schonlein published the name tuberculosis in 1832, and Robert Koch identified the bacillus in 1882. In the 1800s the disease was known as consumption, and Wikipedia notes it caused about a quarter of all deaths in Europe.
The 1911 Census Bureau manual asked doctors to name the organ, as tuberculosis of the lungs or of the spine, or tuberculous meningitis, never tuberculosis alone.
As seen in a recordCause of death line, state death certificate, 1910s to 1930s
Cause: Tuberculosis of lungs. Duration: 2 yrs.
Sources
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Tuberculosis." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/causes-of-death/tuberculosis. Last checked 2026-10-12.