Path. [mod.L., f. tūbercul-um TUBERCLE: see -OSIS.] Originally, Any disease characterized by the formation of tubercles; now, since the discovery by Koch in 1882 of the tubercle-bacillus, spec. restricted to disease caused by this bacillus in any of the bodily tissues; examples are pulmonary consumption or phthisis (tuberculosis of the lungs), and scrofula (tuberculosis of the lymphatic glands). Also attrib.
1860. Tanner, Pregnancy, ii. 48. Many females with a tendency to tuberculosis having a copious watery catamenial flow.
1873. T. H. Green, Introd. Pathol. (ed. 2), 203. Acute tuberculosis is … a general infective disease,… characterized … by … numerous minute nodular lesions … in the various organs and tissues.
1877. Roberts, Handbk. Med. (ed. 3), I. 267. Looking upon tuberculosis as a constitutional disease, it has almost universally been regarded as having a hereditary origin.
attrib. 1898. Westm. Gaz., 13 June, 10/1. The provision of sanatoria for poor tuberculosis patients.
1897. Q. Victoria, in Daily News, 27 May, 7/6. I beg your Excellency to express in my name to the Lung Tuberculosis Congress my best thanks for the good wishes tendered to me.
1913. Times, 6 Aug., 8/4. Milk containing tuberculosis bacilli.
