The seventh season of Outlander recently concluded with a heartbreaking death, as Old Ian Murray (portrayed by Steven Cree) passed away.
This latest season saw Jamie (Sam Heughan) and Claire Fraser (CaitrÃona Balfe) return to Lallybroch, where they found out that Ian Sr. was on his deathbed.
His wife, Jenny Murray (Kristin Atherton), disclosed that he’d returned from Culloden with a cough that never left him and only worsened over time.
Before his demise, Ian had a heart-to-heart with his son, Young Ian (John Bell), who shared tales of his time with the Mohawk, the death of his daughter Iseabail, and his love for Rachel Hunter (Izzy Meikle-Small).
Old Ian urged his son to pursue Rachel and not let love slip through his fingers, despite Young Ian feeling obligated to stay in Scotland and support the family, reports the Daily Record.
A man with white hair sits and speaks
So, how did Old Ian Murray meet his end in Outlander?
Claire confessed to Jenny that she couldn’t save Old Ian, despite her 20th-century medical knowledge and skills, as his condition was too far gone.
All she could do was make Old Ian comfortable before leaving for the New World to perform surgery on another patient, leaving Jamie behind with his best friend.
Old Ian was suffering from consumption, also known as Tuberculosis (TB) – in his case, it was latent but still deadly in the 18th century.
According to the NHS, some symptoms include fever, fatigue, weight loss, a persistent cough with blood or mucus, among others.
If the lung infection had spread to other parts of the body, it would result in swollen joints, a headache, being sick and a headache, as well as other symptoms.
Nowadays, TB would be treated with a vaccine or antibiotics but these weren’t an option for Old Ian.
A man wearing tartan looks sad© STARZ
As seen in Outlander, Claire was trying to make penicillin in her surgery earlier than it had been invented to help treat her patients.
Moreover, now there are X-rays, ultrasounds and various other scans on parts of the body to check for TB which wouldn’t have existed back then.
The NHS site states that antibiotics would need to be taken for at least six months, showing just how serious this infection can still be today.
A man with light hair speaks© STARZ
Old Ian wasn’t the only one to die from TB, Alex Randall (Laurence Dobiesz) – the brother of Captain ‘Black Jack’ Randall (Tobias Menzies) – also suffered from the condition as well as other health problems.
TB was just one of many conditions that killed during the 18th century with Outlander showing just how perilous this era was.
Both Jamie and Claire have both nearly died several times over the years, with the 20th century doctor nearly perishing from baby loss and later lying close to death after a gunshot wound.
While Highlander Jamie almost died on the battlefield at Culloden from his injuries, and later almost perished from a rattlesnake bite at the Ridge.
Outlander season 7 is available to buy now on Digital and is streaming on MGM+ via Prime Video now