Kurzfassung

In the 19th century Tuberculosis, a bacterial infection, killed about 1% of the European population per year. It affected Edvard Munch`s family in a major way. Edvard lost his mother as well as one sister and his brother because of the infection. His sister Sophie, who cared for Edvard when he suffered from tuberculosis, probably caught the infection from Edvard and died in 1877, aged fifteen. In numerous artworks Edvard painted his dying sister. He memorized her in the paintings Sick child, Death in the sickroom and Deathbed. In some of these artworks he also memorized his own experiences he had with tuberculosis, such as phantasies during high fever and spitting blood. An observation of these artworks using medical knowledge can lead to new discoveries.