The book addresses the issue of disease diffusion across the geographical span of India during the colonial period. Based on archival records, it analyses colonial economic policies and their implications for the spread of the disease across different regions of India as well as the role of the military in disease spread. It adds a new dimension to the understanding of the spread of TB in colonial India.

The book also discusses the concept of the meaning of illness for different cohorts of TB patients. Based on narratives, it brings to readers the social and cultural dimensions that are responsible for the prevalence of the disease, despite having vaccination and medication available for more than half a century.

The book will be beneficial to health and medical geographers and will bring new insights in historical geography as well as the history of medicine, by incorporating policy changes and their implication in disease spread.Sociologists and public health professionals will find narratives of patients interesting and useful for furthering their understanding.