Contagions #7 - La tuberculose : la peste blanche

Nicknamed the "white plague," tuberculosis long fueled a romanticized imagination before being recognized as a contagious disease linked to living conditions. This episode explores this dual image of the afflicted, a tormented artist and a victim of poverty. It revisits the discovery of Koch's bacillus, the creation of sanatoriums, and major public health campaigns. Despite antibiotics, tuberculosis remains one of the deadliest infectious diseases in the world today. ---------------------------------- Contagions: A History of Epidemics Did you know that the Black Death decimated a third of the European population in just five years? That cholera devastated Brussels to the point of permanently transforming the city and its healthcare system? And that smallpox remains the only infectious disease completely eradicated thanks to vaccination? This documentary series traces the major epidemics that have marked human history. From the plague to leprosy, from cholera to tuberculosis, from ergotism to syphilis, "Contagions" recounts the stories of diseases that sowed fear, provoked collective panic, inspired beliefs, transformed cities, and accelerated the progress of medicine. Alongside historians, biologists, anthropologists, and archivists, this podcast explores medieval quarantines, religious processions, scapegoating, the birth of vaccines, major public health policies, and the social transformations brought about by pandemics. Through archives, ancient manuscripts, historical accounts, and scientific discoveries, "Contagions" sheds light on our relationship with fear, the body, science, and death. Written and directed by: Céline Rase Sound design: Jonathan Remy An RTBF La Première podcast, in partnership with ULB and with the support of National Lottery players. ULB Podcasts (https://actus.ulb.be/fr/ulb-medias/ul..., the podcasts of the Université libre de Bruxelles. Hosted by Ausha. Visit ausha.co/fr/politique-de-confidentialite for more information.