# A Cultural History of Disease

- Institution: Gresham College
- Speaker: Professor Joanna Bourke
- Year: 2022
- Level: For everyone
- Language: English
- Subjects: Medicine and health, History, Literature and writing
- Source: [Gresham College](https://www.gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/series/cultural-disease)
- Licence: [Educational use (Gresham College's terms)](https://www.gresham.ac.uk/terms-and-conditions)
- Who can watch: Adult profiles and older (sources give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the source's own words)

Tuberculosis (and especially drug resistant strains) is a major global health problem, with over nine million people developing the disease annually and 1.5 million dying from it. The history of TB reveals the complex and often contradictory meanings assigned to this disease. The terms used to talk about TB – phthisis, consumption, the “white plague”, and the “wasting disease”, for example – reveal a great deal about popular perceptions relating to contagion and individual social responsibility.

## Lectures

1. [Tuberculosis: A Cultural History](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/learn/gresham/series-cultural-disease/c2eae2c93368) (YouTube)
2. [Polio: A Cultural History](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/learn/gresham/series-cultural-disease/65dd66c665ad) (YouTube)
3. [Breast Cancer: A Cultural History](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/learn/gresham/series-cultural-disease/9634ff48497c) (YouTube)
4. [Dementia: A Cultural History](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/learn/gresham/series-cultural-disease/d868d877ae4f) (YouTube)
5. [AIDS: A Cultural History](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/learn/gresham/series-cultural-disease/a4d6540b0f34) (YouTube)
6. [Sickle Cell Disease: A Cultural History](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/learn/gresham/series-cultural-disease/da7874b60017) (YouTube)