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Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis! It’s not just for lungs any more! Almost Dr. Jenna Capyk joins Joe, Toren, and Kevin to talk about the disease infecting one-third of the world’s population. Learn why those infected with TB were once thought to be vampires, why the hunchback of Notre Dame may have had TB, and more!

Music: You Leave Me Breathless by Mildred Baily

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19 Responses

  1. Is it just me or is there no RSS feed on the That’s Science blog? Jenna is so awesome I have to start reading it.

    I was tested for tuberculosis a few years back when I got thrown in jail in Phoenix. I thought it was a test that involved drawing blood, but I could be wrong. I remember thinking, “who the hell gets tuberculosis in this day and age?” Apparently a lot of people.

    1. You’re not crazy. I’ve just updated the site, thanks for visiting it! Maybe I should do a post on how some people (like myself) who grew up around computers still don’t know how to set up a blog with the right functionalities!

  2. Is it just me or is there no RSS feed on the That’s Science blog? Jenna is so awesome I have to start reading it.

    I was tested for tuberculosis a few years back when I got thrown in jail in Phoenix. I thought it was a test that involved drawing blood, but I could be wrong. I remember thinking, “who the hell gets tuberculosis in this day and age?” Apparently a lot of people.

    1. You’re not crazy. I’ve just updated the site, thanks for visiting it! Maybe I should do a post on how some people (like myself) who grew up around computers still don’t know how to set up a blog with the right functionalities!

  3. As you mention, TB was/is prevalent particularly in early cinema. A lot of films shot in ‘olde timey’ settings tend to involve TB in some capacity so there are a lot of films that reference the disease.

    My favourite TB reference is the scene in Fight Club where Ed Norton and Helena Bonham Carter argue over which support groups they can attend. Helena Bonham-Carter’s gives Ed Norton the TB support group because “her smoking doesn’t go over well.”

    Also, I’d suggest Drunken Angel by Akira Kurosawa. I found this one during a Kurosawa phase a while back and prominently features TB. In this film, a relationship is struck between a young gangster with TB and a doctor who treats him. Things take a turn when the gang’s old boss gets out of jail and tries to take control of the gang again. It’s Kurosawa so you can’t go too wrong. I definitely enjoyed it.

  4. In the UK there’s a lot of concern amongst farmers about badgers spreading TB to cattle, to the point where recently a cull of badgers has been authorised.
    http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/spelman-fires-starting-gun-on-badger-cull-2315885.html
    Also, some nitpicking for Leeson; no, the UK is not all on one island, as the UK includes Northern Ireland. Great Britain is the term used to cover the main island, inculding England, Scotland and wales, but even then it’s not one island, as that would include the Isle of Wight, the Shetlands, Orkneys and Hebrides and many more. So there.

  9. The Fully Sick Rapper is a guy in Australia who has MDRTB and was basically in quarantine for a year… and started to go stir crazy and started making youtube rap videos to pass the time. Pretty entertaining for a sick guy.

  10. The Fully Sick Rapper is a guy in Australia who has MDRTB and was basically in quarantine for a year… and started to go stir crazy and started making youtube rap videos to pass the time. Pretty entertaining for a sick guy.

  13. At long last, a new weapon against tuberculosis

    The new drug inhibits the key enzyme adenosine triphosphate synthase, which TB needs to replicate and spread throughout the body. In two separate phase II clinical trials, Sirturo was found to reduce average treatment times for patients with TB from a median of 125 days to 57 and 83 days, respectively.

  15. I had to get the TB skin test Jenna mentioned for a teaching job. Surprisingly, it was positive for TB even-though I’ve been nowhere near places where TB is prevalent (nor did I work with the disease). The X-Ray showed nothing and thankfully, I was not forced into taking meds.

    Also, Jenna is definitely my favorite guest on the podcast!

  16. I had to get the TB skin test Jenna mentioned for a teaching job. Surprisingly, it was positive for TB even-though I’ve been nowhere near places where TB is prevalent (nor did I work with the disease). The X-Ray showed nothing and thankfully, I was not forced into taking meds.

    Also, Jenna is definitely my favorite guest on the podcast!