A Thousand Years of Tuberculosis: A Journey Through Western Art

The Divine Touch: Tuberculosis in Art from the 10th to 18th Centuries

For centuries, European monarchs asserted their divine right to rule, often claiming the power to heal the sick through the "royal touch." This ritual was frequently sought by those suffering from scrofula, a form of tuberculosis affecting the lymph nodes. The seeming remissions and occasional healing of this condition reinforced the belief in the monarchs' miraculous abilities, intertwining political legitimacy with perceived divine intervention.

This era is vividly captured in artistic depictions of kings performing the royal touch, surrounded by hopeful subjects. The bestowing of a gold coin bearing the image of Archangel Michael slaying a dragon further symbolized the perceived triumph over disease and evil.

The Paradoxical 19th Century: Romanticizing and Confronting Tuberculosis

The 19th century brought a complex and often contradictory portrayal of tuberculosis in art. The Industrial Revolution's grim realities of poverty and urbanization saw tuberculosis depicted as a disease of the downtrodden, as poignantly illustrated in Cristobal Rojas' "The Misery." This stark realism contrasted sharply with the concurrent romanticization of tuberculosis as a disease of tragic beauty.

Figures like Marie Duplessis, immortalized in Alexandre Dumas fils' "La Dame aux Camélias," became emblematic of this romanticized view. Her ethereal beauty, accentuated by the illness, fueled the notion of tuberculosis as a marker of delicate sensitivity. This perception extended to the artistic sphere, where the "consumptive artist" archetype emerged, linking the disease with heightened creativity and emotional depth, a belief echoed in the works of poets like John Keats and Percy Bysshe Shelley.

Yet, the 19th century also saw artists grappling with the intimate tragedies of tuberculosis within families. Christian Krohg's "The Sick Girl" and Edvard Munch's "The Sick Child" offer heartbreaking glimpses into the personal devastation wrought by the disease, capturing the profound grief and loss experienced by those left behind.

As the century drew to a close, medical advancements began to shape artistic representations. Jules Adler's "Transfusion of a Goat's Blood" depicts a then-experimental treatment, marking a shift towards portraying the medical profession's active engagement with the disease.

The 20th Century: Tuberculosis as Public Enemy

Robert Koch's discovery of the tuberculosis bacillus in 1882 ushered in a new era in both medical understanding and artistic representation. The romanticized image of the disease crumbled, replaced by a focus on tuberculosis as a public health enemy.

Propaganda posters from World War I depict tuberculosis as a national adversary, drawing parallels with the war effort. This period also saw artists like Alice Neel exploring the disease's impact on marginalized communities in works like "TB Harlem." The patient's perspective also gained prominence, with artwork like the sculpture "Recovery," created by a tuberculosis patient, offering a visceral and deeply personal account of living with the disease.

The latter half of the 20th century witnessed the emergence of HIV, and art began reflecting the intertwined impact of both diseases on global health, highlighting the compounded vulnerabilities faced by affected individuals.

Tuberculosis in the 21st Century: Stigma and Resilience

Despite medical advancements, tuberculosis continues to carry a stigma. Contemporary artists like Paulina Siniatkina use their work to confront this stigma, sharing their personal experiences with the disease and demonstrating the power of art as a tool for coping and resilience.