The 'Mortality Gap' for Tuberculosis Patients at Callan Park Hospital for the Insane, Sydney, 1880 to 1920

There was a steep decline in tuberculosis (TB) mortality in Australia and the western world from 1880 to 1920, which substantially contributed to the first global health transition. TB ceased to be a leading cause of death. This transformation in infectious disease mortality, which resulted in a significant increase in life expectancy over the period, did not happen in New South Wales mental asylums. This paper examines possible reasons for this mortality gap. Analysis of a sample of patients who died from TB at Callan Park Hospital for the Insane between 1880 and 1920 sheds some light on their vulnerabilities, and gives an insight into their brief lives in the asylum—their experiences, backgrounds, and treatments.