In Old West slang, a “lunger” was a person suffering from tuberculosis (often called “consumption” at the time).

Quick Scoop: What is a “Lunger” in the Old West?

In frontier towns, “lunger” was a rough, often insulting nickname for someone with a serious lung disease, especially tuberculosis. The word comes from the idea that the person’s lungs were damaged, making them cough, wheeze, and spit blood.

You’ll often see or hear it in Western stories and movies, like when characters refer to Doc Holliday in Tombstone as a “lunger,” because he was a gambler and gunfighter slowly dying of tuberculosis.

How the Term Was Used

  • It was slang, not a medical term.
  • Usually meant someone with tuberculosis, a wasting lung disease that was common and often fatal in the 1800s.
  • Often used in a dismissive or derogatory way, marking the person as weak, sickly, or doomed.

A typical example from Western-style writing or talk would be something like:

“Don’t worry ’bout him, he’s just a lunger. Won’t last the winter.”

Why It Mattered in Old West Life

  1. Disease and fear
    • Tuberculosis was widespread, highly feared, and poorly understood in the 19th century.
 * People who were called “lungers” were often seen as contagious and near death, which shaped how others treated them.
  1. The “health climate” of the West
    • Some sick people actually went West hoping the dry air and altitude would help their lungs, so towns sometimes had a noticeable number of “lungers.”
 * This gave the term a specific Old West flavor: it evokes dusty streets, sanatoriums, and sick newcomers trying to start over.
  1. In pop culture today
    • Modern articles and discussions about Tombstone and other Westerns still explain “lunger” as Old West slang for someone with tuberculosis.
 * The term is now mostly historical, used when talking about Western history, movies, and novels rather than in everyday speech.

Mini FAQ

Was “lunger” always an insult?
Not always, but it was usually rough, casual, and could be quite unkind, especially when used to dismiss someone as weak or dying.

Is “lunger” ever used now?
Today it’s mostly used when people are quoting or discussing Old West slang or characters like Doc Holliday, not as a modern label for patients.

TL;DR: In the Old West, a “lunger” was slang for someone with tuberculosis or a serious lung disease—most famously characters like Doc Holliday—often said in a harsh, dismissive way.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.