patientsresources

We hope that people with TB, their carers and families, as well as people interested in TB will find the following books useful and/or interesting. We highly recommend them:

First published in 2002 and later revised and updated in 2009, this book is a fascinating story of the life and achievements of Sir John Forbes, who was responsible for some of the most outstanding breakthroughs in TB research in the 19th century. As Queen Victoria’s physician, a medical journalist and translator, Forbes carried out pioneering studies on pulmonary TB on Cornish miners using an early stethoscope brought back to him from Paris by his friend and fellow Scot, Sir James Clark.

Forbes's studies were carried out whilst he was working at Penzance Dispensary after his naval career and graduation as MD from Edinburgh in 1817.

Circe’s Island is an evocative memoir of tuberculosis treatment in the 1950s in which the author, Isabel Gillard, recalls the time she spent in a sanatorium and the peculiar, often brutal and generally ineffective treatments visited upon her. TB Alert’s late Honorary President, Sir John Crofton, penned his own contributions to the story, including a medical history of TB which charts how treatment began to change with the advent of chemotherapy and the Edinburgh method.

This is a fascinating first-hand account of the history of tuberculosis, which we encourage you to read. The author has kindly offered to donate a proportion of the royalties. Copies are available direct from Unbound Press, www.unboundpress.com

You can also order a copy from Amazon here
___________________________________________________

- Book: Life Beyond TB
by Elizabeth Yeomans

As a busy farmer’s wife and prominent local government figure, Elizabeth lived a very full life with many responsibilities. She was finally diagnosed with Bovine TB after suffering from various symptoms, including weight loss and flu, over an extended period of time. Initially shocked by her diagnosis, doctors told Elizabeth that she had probably had latent Bovine TB for many years, possibly caused by years of drinking unpasteurised milk from her dairy farm.

Understandably, Elizabeth’s demanding lifestyle became increasingly difficult to maintain during her illness, and a huge amount of pressure was put on both her and her husband. Fortunately, with the help of friends and family, and the support of her local community, Elizabeth was able to beat her illness and look forward to life after TB.

- BOOK: TB Survival Handbook.
by Paul Mayho

First Edition:The Tuberculosis Survival Handbook brings together the historical and medical facts of every stage of TB, from diagnosis through to treatment and cure. An on-running case study illustrates each stage from the patient's view. Explaining treatment in understandable terms and giving tip and advice on how to deal with the physical and mental experiences of side-effects and isolation.

It provides an understanding companion for those affected by the disease and is also an essential reference for workers in the healthcare profession, giving an authoritative insight from a unique perspective.

Download First Edition as PDF for FREE (Section1, Section2, Section3, Section4, Section5)

________________________________________________________________________

Second Edition: The new second-edition of The Tuberculosis Survival Handbook was published on World TB Day 2006, by Merit Publishing International. First published in 1999, this new edition has been completely up dated and re-worked. Informative, comprehensive and educational, this book is a truly personal account that will raise awareness worldwide of tuberculosis and Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis.
The Tuberculosis Survival Handbook is an engrossing personal story as well as an invaluable source of information for people with TB around the world. Paul Mayho who was cured of Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, offers his firsthand experience with the disease and its treatment descriptions of symptoms, diagnosis, drug therapy and protocols, as well as tips on everything from diet to dealing with psychological effects. While knowledgeable and meticulous, Mayho never talks above the reader’s head, keeping his presentation straight-forward and encouraging.
This book is essenitial for TB sufferers, their friends and loved ones, nurses, clinicians, health centres, Departments and Ministries of Health, and all others with an interest in tuberculosis.

Note from TB Alert - Don't think that if you have read the first edition you dont need this one. It is, in effect, a completely new book with so much more to offer the patient and the healthcare professional and should be required reading!

Paul is giving 10% of his royalty from the second edition to TB Alert. You can pre-order your copy now for £14.95 from www.amazon.co.uk or from the publishers Merit Publishing International, email: merituk@aol.com.

________________________________________________________________________

- BOOK: The Plague and I
by Betty McDonald

The Plague and I is a humorous but poignant account of Betty McDonald's battle with tuberculosis. The Plague And I remains one of a tiny handful of first-person accounts of life in a tuberculosis sanatorium before the era of penicillin. Plague was followed by Anybody Can Do Anything, Betty's account of how she and her daughters survived the grim years of the 1930s after leaving her first marriage, with the helpful companionship of her warm family. "The best thing about the depression," MacDonald wrote in the opening line of the book, "was the way it reunited our family and gave my sister Mary a real opportunity to prove that anybody can do anything, especially Betty" (p. 9).

- BOOK (for professionals and patients): Tuberculosis: The Greatest Story Never Told
byFrank Ryan

Book cover of Tuberculosis: The Greatest Story Never Told

“Tuberculosis is the greatest infectious killer in history. In this century and the previous one it killed an estimated thousand million people. Half way through this century, experts and the public alike thought the cure would never be found. In fact it was found by the most unlikely group of heroes, none of them tuberculosis experts and only half of them medically qualified. Their discovery of the cure changed history. You might imagine how surprised I was to discover that their story had never been told. I traveled about the world talking to the people who had played their parts in it – and what an incredible story it proved to be. Then, while I was writing it, the plague came back to haunt both the developed and developing world.”

[The last section of the book goes on to tell of the new outbreak of tuberculosis, linked with the AIDS epidemic, that now threatens the world again].

“As exciting as a detective novel … Dr Ryan tells an important and moving story.” Anthony Daniels, The Sunday Telegraph.

And don’t be put off if you are not a scientist – Frank’s books are intended for general readers, doctors and scientists alike. But if you are more interested in fiction, science fiction or mystery thrillers, check out some of his other books – every single one will raise money for TB Alert! Click here to access Frank Ryan's website.

-BOOKLET: TB Tips: Advice for People with Tuberculosis.
by Paul Thorn from the tb survival project (www.tbsurvivalproject.org)

This booklet offers suggestions written by people who have first-hand experience of the illness. It covers all aspects of the journey through TB treatment - from initial infection and diagnosis, treatment and hospital isolation to the eventual cure. It also includes suggestions for a healthy lifestyle. The booklet is based on the popular tips that are included in the first edition of The Tuberculosis Survival Handbook. It is a quick reference guide for anyone who may have TB.

Click here to download PDF for FREE. A Hindi version of the booklet is also available, please email us for a copy.

________________________________________________________________________

-BOOKLET: Overcoming Tuberculosis: A Handbook for Patients.
by Paul Thorn from the tb survival project (www.tbsurvivalproject.org)

This booklet is applicable to anyone who has TB/MDR-TB. It has been written to help the patient understand what TB/MDR-TB is; how you get the disease; how it is diagnosed; how it is treated and cured. This will help the patient to understand why adherence to treatment is so important. The booklet aims to guide the patient through the TB treatment journey and includes many helpful suggestions along the way. The booklet also includes a TB treatment chart. download PDF for FREE