John Oliver

Does that sound right?

Does that sound right?

We'll go with it.

We'll go with it.

Harry Truman, this was in a different age in American history. Harry Truman sent a budget ask to the federal government for $200,000 to fund the development of the most critical or one of the most critical TB drugs, isoniazid. So if it weren't for Harry Truman sending federal money, federal government taxpayer money to fund the treatment of tuberculosis, we wouldn't have that amazing drug.

Harry Truman, this was in a different age in American history. Harry Truman sent a budget ask to the federal government for $200,000 to fund the development of the most critical or one of the most critical TB drugs, isoniazid. So if it weren't for Harry Truman sending federal money, federal government taxpayer money to fund the treatment of tuberculosis, we wouldn't have that amazing drug.

Absolutely. Not even a challenge. It's trying to shrink your body. It's trying to make you smaller. And that is a result partly of this tubercular beauty standard. When we romanticize tuberculosis, I know. When we romanticize tuberculosis in the 18th and 19th centuries, we began to associate beauty with very frail, small bodies.

Absolutely. Not even a challenge. It's trying to shrink your body. It's trying to make you smaller. And that is a result partly of this tubercular beauty standard. When we romanticize tuberculosis, I know. When we romanticize tuberculosis in the 18th and 19th centuries, we began to associate beauty with very frail, small bodies.

And so attempts to shrink the female body are at least in part a response to this tuberculosis beauty standard that goes back to the 19th century.

And so attempts to shrink the female body are at least in part a response to this tuberculosis beauty standard that goes back to the 19th century.

Yeah, so we know how to live in a world without TB. You search for cases, you treat every case you find, and you offer preventative therapy to folks who are near those cases. And that's how we eliminated TB in the US, or nearly eliminated it. That's how we've nearly eliminated TB in many countries around the world. But that takes funding.

Yeah, so we know how to live in a world without TB. You search for cases, you treat every case you find, and you offer preventative therapy to folks who are near those cases. And that's how we eliminated TB in the US, or nearly eliminated it. That's how we've nearly eliminated TB in many countries around the world. But that takes funding.

And right now, if you think of the history of tuberculosis as a long staircase where we learn more and learn better tools, have better tools to fight the disease, right now we have the tools, we just don't have the political will. And so right now, unfortunately, we've fallen down the staircase. But it's easy to feel like this is the end of history.

And right now, if you think of the history of tuberculosis as a long staircase where we learn more and learn better tools, have better tools to fight the disease, right now we have the tools, we just don't have the political will. And so right now, unfortunately, we've fallen down the staircase. But it's easy to feel like this is the end of history.

I mean, I feel that way all the time, to be honest with you. But of course, it's not the end of history. This is the middle of the story, not the end of the story. And it falls to us to write a better end. And I really believe we can do that together. I really believe that I will live to see a world without tuberculosis.

I mean, I feel that way all the time, to be honest with you. But of course, it's not the end of history. This is the middle of the story, not the end of the story. And it falls to us to write a better end. And I really believe we can do that together. I really believe that I will live to see a world without tuberculosis.

I may need to live a little bit longer than I had originally expected, but I still think that it's possible.

I may need to live a little bit longer than I had originally expected, but I still think that it's possible.

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