#146 Tuberculosis is Still Here
A review of ‘Everything is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection,’ by John Green
From the CDC
John Green, one of the leading authors of young adult fiction (including The Fault in Our Stars and Looking for Alaska), treats readers to this gem of nonfiction published in 2025. Although it sounds improbable, the author’s explanation of how the stubborn mycobacterium remains a deadly threat despite the existence of a cure is a short, touching, and enjoyable read.
If you think this tale sounds dry, it most certainly is not. Readers meet Henry, a charismatic young man in Sierra Leone, who the author met during his own visit to the country in 2019. Henry showed Green around an under-funded medical facility and spoke to him about his own experiences as a child with first treatable, and then multi-drug-resistant, tuberculosis (TB.) Green’s friendship with Henry would spark a tremendous urge to tell his story, discover the roots of the local problem and expose the confounding lack of commitment that the Western world has made to eradicate the disease.
Green learned that TB was not an ancient problem, but an ongoing global issue despite the availability of effective medications. The author spent several years researching the illness and discussing the problem with experts. He advocated at the UN and to pharmaceutical companies to ease access to rapid testing and the expensive medications needed to treat drug-resistant strains. His efforts were successful.
A funny thing happened when I started reading the lessons of history and how much of it has been shaped by the downward drag of TB. I was reminded of my own father’s incidental diagnosis of a pulmonary mass in the days before CT scans. After surgical removal, he was diagnosed with a pulmonary tubercle (an encapsulated TB infection). My family was dragged into years of testing. Green’s opening chapters relate the enormous historical significance of this one wasting and (formerly) incurable infection also known as consumption, scrofula, phthisis and Potts disease. This diagnosis lurked in the background of many of the major historical and cultural events of the last millennium.
Fighting for a Cure
Green advocates strongly for the haves to make a stronger commitment to the have-nots.
“We cannot address TB only with vaccines and medications … we must also address the root cause of tuberculosis, which is injustice,” he implores. “In a world where everyone can eat, and access healthcare, and be treated humanely, tuberculosis has no chance. Ultimately, we are the cause. We must also be the cure.” (p. 184)
Physician readers will be reminded of some of their basic motivations for beginning the study and practice of medicine. This story brings together the microbial science, history of the disease and very touching personal experiences of one special young man. You will find yourself rooting for Henry’s fight against a dogged illness and against the insidious endurance of tuberculosis infections in our world. “Everything is Tuberculosis” is absolutely a worthy addition to your summer beach bag or carry-on.
