Tuberculosis (TB) (consumption) is a particularly unpleasant disease that has seen a re-emergence in Britain, especially among immigrant populations. The objective of the review was to consolidate the principal and important articles written on TB in Britain over the last six decades, including its contraction in humans. The criteria used in the current review for selecting articles were both theoretically and practically motivated and adopted from proposed criteria in The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health for the 19th century; 20th century; and 21st century. Data was classified according to a normal distribution, with the 20th century expressing the greater readership. The results show that in the 1890s people became more aware of the threat of TB-infected meat. Tuberculin was the name used to describe the ‘poison’ produced by the bacilli. In February 2005, the British government announced proposals to implement existing health initiatives by screening visa applicants for TB from identified high-risk routes, and enforcing treatment of those positively diagnosed before being allowed entry into and stay in Britain. With increasing entry of foreign-born people into the UK it is essential that effective controls are established to prevent the spread of the disease. There are associations with a weakened immune system and TB, particularly amongst HIV positive individuals.