white plague

American  

noun

1. tuberculosis, especially pulmonary tuberculosis.

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white plague British  

noun

1. informal tuberculosis of the lungs

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Etymology

Origin of white plague

An Americanism dating back to 1865–70

Example Sentences

By the 1950s, tuberculosis was being treated effectively with antibiotics, and many of the palatial compounds previously devoted to the white plague had shuttered.

From New York Times • Feb. 18, 2018

Denver's Dr. Harry Corper, 65, who developed the test, is an oldtime foe and onetime victim of the white plague.

From Time Magazine Archive

In the long war against the white plague, medicine's two most useful search tools have had a grave defect.

From Time Magazine Archive

When 100 physicians, nurses and public-health workers met in Atlantic City, NJ. half a century ago to found the National Tuberculosis Association, the "white plague" was the No. 1 cause of death in the U.S.

From Time Magazine Archive

In other words, in my condition, it was necessary to take precautions against the white plague.

From In the Flash Ranging Service Observations of an American Soldier During His Service With the A.E.F. in France by Trueblood, Edward Alva