Kafka and tuberculosis

To mark the centenary of Franz Kafka’s death from laryngeal tuberculosis at the age of 40 in June 1924, the University of Oxford ran a series of events, including talks, an exhibition and a public reading of the Metamorphosis in the Sheldonian Theatre.

It is believe he lived with tuberculosis for the last 7 years of his life and it likely affected his writings, including works such as The Hunger Artist. In recognition there was a public talk on 5 June 2024 entitled “Tuberculosis: vaccines, diagnostics and experience”with contributions on vaccines by Professor Helen McShane and diagnostics by Dr Philip Fowler.

The highlight however was hearing the experience of someone who had been diagnosed with tuberculosis about 20 years and how, despite, surviving this ancient disease, it has profoundly affected how she lives day to day.

You can watch the talk for free here