During this period, tuberculosis was  considered a ‘romantic disease,' because it tended to affect poverty- stricken artists and poets– those with weaker immune systems.
В те времена туберкулёз приобрёл ореол «болезни романтиков», поскольку им, как правило, болели нищие художники и поэты, имевшие слабый иммунитет.