MovieChat Forums > Mansfield Park (1999) Discussion > Please does anyone know ...

Please does anyone know ...


what the character Tom was sick with ( his illness ) ? I'm watching this movie for the very first time on ENCORE and I have not read the book at all either . Has it been mentioned in the book what his illness was ?

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The book never really reveals the name of his illness. But it does say that Edmund and Sir Thomas suspect Tom has lung damage.

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Wow that's very sad but it was good he survived it - very lucky . I'm not a medical professional but I did check out lung damage causes and there is about 50 different ones but none that would match up to this stories time period . The only one I did find that it might be was Tuberculosis but could not find if there was a survival rate for it ( of course it might be something else entirely different as well ? - was just curious about it that's all ) . Thanks kaskait for your reply .

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In the book, he "had a fall" which I've always taken to mean that he fell off his horse. And then he didn't take care of himself following this accident and a fever set in. He continues to get worse and eventually is sick enough to need to send word to Mansfield:

Tom had gone from London with a party of young men to Newmarket, where a neglected fall and a good deal of drinking had brought on a fever; and when the party broke up, being unable to move, had been left by himself at the house of one of these young men to the comforts of sickness and solitude, and the attendance only of servants. Instead of being soon well enough to follow his friends, as he had then hoped, his disorder increased considerably, and it was not long before he thought so ill of himself as to be as ready as his physician to have a letter despatched to Mansfield (ch. 44).


As for Tom's lungs:
At about the week's end from his return to Mansfield, Tom's immediate danger was over, and he was so far pronounced safe as to make his mother perfectly easy; for being now used to the sight of him in his suffering, helpless state, and hearing only the best, and never thinking beyond what she heard, with no disposition for alarm and no aptitude at a hint, Lady Bertram was the happiest subject in the world for a little medical imposition. The fever was subdued; the fever had been his complaint; of course he would soon be well again. Lady Bertram could think nothing less, and Fanny shared her aunt's security, till she received a few lines from Edmund, written purposely to give her a clearer idea of his brother's situation, and acquaint her with the apprehensions which he and his father had imbibed from the physician with respect to some strong hectic symptoms, which seemed to seize the frame on the departure of the fever. They judged it best that Lady Bertram should not be harassed by alarms which, it was to be hoped, would prove unfounded; but there was no reason why Fanny should not know the truth. They were apprehensive for his lungs (ch. 45).


IMO, Sir Thomas and Edmund's concerns over Tom's lungs suggest that they were concerned he might contract pneumonia. Fevers and viruses could turn into something very serious back then, and if someone became ill or injured it might lead to serious infections that had lasting (paralytic) effects, such as lung damage.

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Thanks so much randommovies2002 for the information and taking the time to explain all this to me too . It was very appreciated . It does all seems to make sense and fit into that time frame as well . I agree - with medical being so young in those days too it was of top priority to tend to even the slightest illness . It was such fragile times for humanity .

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Well, at least in this movie version, it seemed to me he was withdrawaling from some drug (likely from the mental trauma of seeing slavery horrors first hand, particularly of his dad)

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