Tuberculosis is a disease that has plagued humankind for centuries. The "white plague" is not only treatable and curable but also preventable. Initially, tuberculosis fell in the province of the general physician. With the advent of technologic advances in thoracic surgery, surgical management of tuberculosis was brought to the forefront. Effective bactericidal drug therapy became available by 1954 after the development of streptomycin in 1945 and isoniazid in 1952. Additional effective antituberculous drugs have relegated surgical therapy for tuberculosis to a relatively minor role.