[The suffocating presence of the body].
A brief reflection is presented on tuberculosis as a paradigm of disease and its relationship with human behavior based on Thomas Mann's The magic mountain. The romantic myth of tuberculosis is analyzed as a disease prevailing among psychologically sensitive people. This myth is compared with present day health expectations as a consequence of widespread information produced by the tireless efforts of the medical sciences.
Renza
Marta
M
Instituto Nacional de Salud, Bogotá, DC, Colombia. mcrenza@hotmail.com
D018594:Human Body; D010684:Philosophy; D014376:Tuberculosis