Memories of tuberculosis in Leicester

Memories of tuberculosis in Leicester

Health

Trevor Peake talks about how tuberculosis (TB) was viewed as he was growing up

East Midlands Oral History Archive

EMOHA Ref: 901, EM/029

East Midlands Oral History Archive

1950s

You may use this item in accordance with the licence http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/uk/

.mp3

English

Oral history

1min 1sec

All my memories of ’47, which when I was at school, it seemed to me that so many people were dying of TB that it was frightening really and I always remember saying to my father ‘what’s happened to Jack Van I’ve not seen him for a bit Dad.’ ‘Oh he’s died last week.’ ‘Oh what of him?’ ‘Galloping consumption.’ Well I think it frightened me for about two months this galloping consumption. But, yet I can remember him Jack, because he wore a cap, went to work, got a red face, always nice and quiet. He never said much at all, just sat there and drank his beer, ‘hello young Joe’ and all that to me and he’s died and I thought to myself ‘galloping consumption.’ Stayed in my mind for years galloping consumption. But there all, TB was rife you know. Which is, now it’s, not unheard of course, I know it’s coming back a bit now.

Colin Hyde

Trevor Peake

Leicester