Phthisis was the classical Greek-derived term for pulmonary tuberculosis, widely used in medical and literary texts before the nineteenth century. The disease was characterised by wasting, chronic coughing, and gradual physical decline. Because it progressed slowly and often afflicted young adults, poets and novelists frequently associated phthisis with tragic beauty, sensitivity, and doomed love. Romantic and Victorian writers used the term to evoke fragility, spiritual refinement, and the melancholy awareness of mortality, making it a powerful metaphor for fading life and delicate suffering.

Phthisis is an archaic term for tuberculosis. Like consumption, it appears frequently in nineteenth century literature. The slow wasting of the body symbolised fragile beauty and tragic decline. Many romantic writers associated phthisis with artistic sensitivity and early death.