's seventh season recently concluded with a heartbreaking death as Old Ian Murray, portrayed by Steven Cree, met his end. The latest instalment saw Jamie (Sam Heughan) and Claire Fraser (Caitriona Balfe) return to Lallybroch, only to find that Ian Sr. was on his deathbed, reports the .

His wife Jenny Murray, played by Kristin Atherton, disclosed that he had returned from Culloden with a persistent cough that progressively worsened. Before his demise, Old Ian shared a heartfelt conversation with his son Young Ian (John Bell), who recounted his experiences with the Mohawk, the loss of his daughter Iseabail, and his affection for Rachel Hunter (Izzy Meikle-Small).

Old Ian urged his son to pursue his love for Rachel, despite Young Ian feeling obligated to stay in Scotland and support the family.

Despite her 20th-century medical knowledge and skills, Claire confessed to Jenny that she couldn't save Old Ian as his condition was too advanced.

All she could do was make him comfortable before leaving for the New World to perform surgery on another patient, leaving Jamie behind with his best friend. Old Ian succumbed to consumption or Tuberculosis (TB) - a latent but deadly disease in the 18th century.

As per the NHS, symptoms can include fever, fatigue, weight loss, and 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.

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.

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 battled the condition along with other health issues.

TB was just one of many deadly conditions during the 18th century, with Outlander vividly portraying 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 too had his share of brushes with death, nearly dying on the battlefield at Culloden from his injuries and later almost perishing 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