영한_질병_배소윤

[한영과 19기 배소윤]

The Deadliest Infectious Disease of All Time | Crash Course Lecture

https://youtu.be/7D-gxaie6UI?si=fh6LFfPo-32-yect

해당 텍스트는 폐결핵에 대한 유튜브 강의 중 일부를 5분 분량으로 편집한 글입니다.
 
[글로서리]

- Tuberculosis, TB - 결핵
- Typhoid - 장티푸스
- Destroyed palace - 폐허병
- Consumption - 소모병
- Malnutrition - 영양실조
- Bacterium - 박테리아 / 세균
- Calcified structures called tubercles - 결절이라고 불리는 석회화 구조
- Invalids - 병약자
 
[스크립트]

(557단어, 5분)

Tuberculosis, the deadliest infectious disease of all time, has been with us for 3 million years, predating modern humans. It's been found in ancient Egyptian mummies and mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. Despite incredible medical advances like vaccines and antibiotics, in 2022, TB still killed more people than malaria, typhoid, cholera, homicide, and war combined.
 
TB has gone by many names throughout history, such as "destroyed palace" in ancient China and "consumption" in the 19th century, for how it seemed to consume the body. Today, we know it as tuberculosis. But TB is more than just a disease; it reveals deep truths about humanity. Despite our power to light the world, refrigerate food, and reshape the atmosphere, we still struggle to control TB, even though we know how to cure it.
 
It’s strange that disease, something responsible for the majority of deaths in human history, gets so little attention in historical studies. We prefer to focus on wars and empires, perhaps because we want to believe that we control our fate. But in reality, even the most powerful people in history have been at the mercy of diseases like TB.
 
Tuberculosis is weird. It's an infectious disease spread through the air, and about a quarter of all humans are infected with the TB bacteria. But only 5 to 10% will develop active disease, which can happen within two years of infection or even decades later. Factors like malnutrition, crowded living conditions, and a compromised immune system can increase the risk. The disease usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other organs, and its course is unpredictable—it can kill quickly or over many years.
 
Much of TB's strangeness comes from the bacterium itself, which has a thick, fatty cell wall that makes it hard for the body to fight. The body responds by creating calcified structures called tubercles to contain the bacteria. If these tubercles fail, the infection spreads and can eventually be fatal. TB’s slow growth rate also makes it different from other diseases—it doesn’t spread rapidly like a plague but can persist quietly before becoming deadly.
 
Throughout history, TB has been understood in many different ways. Some cultures thought it was genetic, others contagious, and some believed it was caused by bad air or an imbalance in the body. Despite these varying beliefs, one thing is consistent: humans have always tried to understand why diseases happen, often constructing moral or ethical narratives around them. This leads to stigma, where illness is seen as a punishment for wrongdoing, making it easier for healthy people to believe they are safe.
 
Stigma adds an extra burden to those who are sick. For example, TB patients in the 18th and 19th centuries were called "invalids," literally invalidating their humanity. Stigma is often worse for chronic illnesses, those perceived as highly dangerous, and especially for infectious diseases. When TB became widespread in the 18th century, affecting even the rich and powerful, it was romanticized as a disease of beauty and intellect. However, romanticizing illness, like stigmatizing it, ultimately isolates the sufferer.
 
In the end, whether we romanticize or stigmatize a disease, both approaches serve to separate the sick from society and make sense of their suffering. In the case of TB, these narratives have deeply influenced our culture and continue to shape our understanding of the disease today.
 

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