Childhood Tuberculosis & Wasting Diseases (Under 18)

A total of 253 individuals buried at Brighton General Cemetery died from childhood tuberculosis or related wasting diseases. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, illnesses such as Tabes Mesenterica, Scrofula, Consumption, Phthisis, Rheumatic Fever, Milk Fever, Puerperal Fever and Childbed Fever were among the most feared conditions affecting children. Long before antibiotics or reliable public health systems, these diseases could progress slowly and silently, often leaving families with few options and little hope. For modern readers, these cases highlight how vulnerable children once were — and how profoundly medical science has transformed childhood survival. They offer a glimpse into an era when infections that are now treatable or preventable shaped entire families, neighbourhoods and generations.