Tuberculosis infections have plagued mankind for many centuries. Once known as consumption because of the way it appeared to consume the human body, it is today a treatable illness if detected early. However, it poses a new threat worldwide as it attacks people whose immune systems are weakened by HIV. The book contains a timeline of important dates in the treatment of TB, as well as stories on famous victims such as members of the Bronte family and Eleanor Roosevelt. There are sidebars on how the X-ray was a breakthrough in the diagnoses of TB and on how effective programs to treat the disease were developed a few years too late to save George Orwell.