# A White Death Among the Ranks. Tuberculosis in the Austro-Hungarian Army, 1882–1914

## TL;DR

This paper examines how tuberculosis affected the Austro-Hungarian Army from 1882 to 1914, focusing on Cisleithania and the military's response.

## Contribution

The study provides a detailed analysis of tuberculosis in the Austro-Hungarian Army and its connection to civilian health trends.

## Key findings

- Tuberculosis was a significant health issue in the Austro-Hungarian Army during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
- Morbidity and mortality rates varied among different types of army units.
- Military authorities implemented hygiene measures and discharged infected soldiers to control the spread.

## Abstract

This article is devoted to the incidence of tuberculosis in the Austro-Hungarian Imperial-Royal Army between the years 1882 and 1914, with a special focus on the region of Cisleithania. The first part of the article discusses the organisation of the Austro-Hungarian armed forces, drawing attention to those features of the organisation that may prove informative when researching the health status of the wider population as a whole. The question of the extent of the threat of tuberculosis in Austria-Hungary is then addressed, which shall allow us to move on to the incidence of the disease in the Imperial Royal Army. Drawing on archivally collated statistics, I consider the morbidity-mortality curves and the susceptibility to the disease of the soldiers of each army type. The next part of the paper considers a possible crossover between the incidence of tuberculosis in civilian society and in the army, using the example of selected regiments billeted in Cisleithania. The last part of the article shall discuss the preventive measures taken by military authorities, such as dismissing those struck down with the disease from active service and the implementation of a more rigid hygienic regime.