Outlander season seven saw the death of Old Ian Murray
The seventh season of Outlander concluded recently, marked by the tragic demise of Old Ian Murray, portrayed by Steven Cree.
The latest instalment saw Jamie (Sam Heughan) and Claire Fraser (Caitríona Balfe) return to Lallybroch, where they found out that Ian Sr. was on his deathbed.
His spouse, Jenny Murray (Kristin Atherton), disclosed that he had returned from Culloden with a persistent cough that only worsened over time.
Before his passing, Ian had a heart-to-heart with his son Young Ian (John Bell), who shared tales of his experiences with the Mohawk, the loss of his daughter Iseabail, and his affection for Rachel Hunter (Izzy Meikle-Small).
Old Ian encouraged his son to pursue Rachel and not let love slip away, despite Young Ian feeling obligated to stay in Scotland and assist his family, reports the Daily Record.
Old Ian Murray came back from Culloden with a cough that never left him(Image: STARZ)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 advanced.
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 mate.
Old Ian was battling consumption or Tuberculosis (TB) – in his case, it was latent but still lethal in the 18th century.
As per the NHS, some symptoms include fever, fatigue, weight loss, a persistent cough with blood or mucus, among others.
Old Ian Murray had latent TB which was a killer in his time(Image: STARZ)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.
In today’s world, TB would be treated with a vaccine or antibiotics but these weren’t an option for Old Ian.
As depicted in Outlander, Claire was attempting to produce penicillin in her surgery before its actual invention to aid her patients.
Furthermore, modern medical technology like X-rays, ultrasounds and various other scans can now check for TB, tools that wouldn’t have existed back then.
Old Ian Murray had a heart to heart with his son(Image: STARZ)The NHS site indicates that antibiotics would need to be taken for at least six months, highlighting the severity of this infection even today.
Old Ian wasn’t the only character to succumb to TB, Alex Randall (Laurence Dobiesz) – the brother of Captain ‘Black Jack’ Randall (Tobias Menzies) – also suffered from the condition along with other health issues.
TB was just one of many conditions that proved fatal during the 18th century, with Outlander illustrating the dangers of this era.
Both Jamie and Claire have had several near-death experiences over the years, with the 20th-century doctor almost dying from baby loss and later lying close to death after a gunshot wound.
Highlander Jamie nearly lost his life on the battlefield at Culloden due to his injuries and later almost died from a rattlesnake bite at the Ridge.
