This paper focuses on literary representations of tuberculosis without dismissing the socio-political implications of this particular disease. To this end, this paper begins with investigating the prevalent discourse connecting tuberculosis and “immoral habits” in late 19th century and how this attitude shifted and embraced a scientifically informed viewpoint with the advent of modern medicine. Sakhtsar Sanatorium, the first sanatorium opened in 1935 in Iran, is significant in my paper in that as a curative space it not only institutionalized tuberculosis but also thwarted tubercular “industry” which had promoted traveling to seek out a cure. An epidemic afflicted anybody regardless of their social class, tuberculosis called for certain measures. For instance, a healthy environment with fresh air and sun was believed to be curative. Hence, traveling to well-ventilated mountainous regions away from the hustle and bustle of a city was prescribed for those suffering from tuberculosis. What is interesting is prescriptions were gender-neutral in the sense that women as well as men were prescribed a potentially curative journey. I argue that these journeys allowed women to be outside their usual surroundings for a breath of “fresh air”, both in a literal and metaphorical sense. In my paper, I particularly pay attention to how women stretch/transgress “prescribed” gender roles through “prescribed” journeys. Do these journeys really empower women or disempower them by confining them to another sort of enclosed space such as a sanatorium? Considering the fact that the novels written in early 20th century Iran are saturated with female characters suffering from tuberculosis, can we talk about “gendering of consumption” in Iran? By analyzing a series of novels such as Tehran-e Makhuf (1922) (The Horrible Tehran) by Morteza Moshfegh Kazemi; Tafrihat-e Shab (1933) (Nocturnal Pleasures), Dar Talash-i Ma'ash (1932) (In Quest of a Living), Ashrafi Makhluqat (1934) (The Noblest of Creatures) by Mohammad Mas’ud; Homa (1928), Ziba (1930) by Mohammad Hejazi, I examine the socio-political implications of prescribed journeys and how they are utilized as an effective plot device.