157. The Deadliest Disease in Human History

People I (Mostly) Admire

John Green returns to the show to talk about tuberculosis — a disease that kills more than a million people a year. Steve has an idea for a new way to get treatment to those in need.

• SOURCES:
  • John Green, best-selling author and YouTube creator.

• RESOURCES:
  • Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection, by John Green (2025).
  • "The Deadliest Infectious Disease Isn’t a Science Problem. It’s a Money Problem," by John Green (The Washington Post, 2024).
  • "The Deadliest Infectious Disease of All Time," by John Green (Crash Course, 2024).
  • "Barely Contained Rage: An Open Letter to Johnson & Johnson," by John Green (Vlogbrothers, 2023).
  • "Designing Advance Market Commitments for New Vaccines," by Michael Kremer, Jonathan D. Levin, and Christopher M. Snyder (NBER, 2020).
  • "Are CEOs Rewarded for Luck? The Ones Without Principals Are," by Marianne Bertrand and Sendhil Mullainathan (The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 2001).
  • "A Further Communication on a Remedy for Tuberculosis," by Robert Koch (The Indian Medical Gazette, 1891).

• EXTRAS:
  • "His Brilliant Videos Get Millions of Views. Why Don’t They Make Money?" by People I (Mostly) Admire (2025).
  • "Sendhil Mullainathan Thinks Messing Around Is the Best Use of Your Time (Update)," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2024).
  • "John Green’s Reluctant Rocket Ship Ride (Update)" by People I (Mostly) Admire (2024).
  • "Rajiv Shah Never Wastes a Crisis," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2024).
  • "'There’s So Many Problems — Which Ones Can I Make a Difference On?'" by People I (Mostly) Admire (2022).
  • The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet, by John Green (2021).
  • The Anthropocene Reviewed (podcast).
  • Nerdfighteria.
  • TBFighters.