consum

Consum is an archaic English noun that referred to tuberculosis, the wasting disease historically called consumption. The form was common in medical writings and in patient narratives from the 17th through the 19th centuries. In such texts, consum or consumption described the prolonged weight loss, cough, fever, and general debility that TB caused before the development of effective antibiotic treatments.

Originating from the Latin root consumere “to consume,” the noun consumption yielded various shortened forms, including consum, in older English usage. The term gradually fell out of medical use as tuberculosis became the standard name in the 20th century.

Historically, TB was a leading cause of death in Europe and North America during the 18th and 19th centuries. Treatments focused on rest, fresh air, and nutrition, with sanatoria playing a prominent role in care. The term consum survives today chiefly in historical writing, literature, and dialectal usage, and is rarely used in modern clinical language.

In contemporary contexts, tuberculosis is the preferred term, and consumption is typically encountered as a historical or literary reference rather than as current medical terminology. The specific word consum is therefore mostly of interest to readers studying historical texts or the evolution of medical vocabulary.