The connection between the two patients will be discussed at length, I think. They might know each other.
I would comment on this...having read a fair bit over the plague in London (1665). Getting some disease like this doesn’t mean you automatically die. If you have a weakened immune system (especially if you had TB)...your odds of surviving are pretty much zero. That plague in London really cleansed society in England a good bit, and left the strong to carry on for the next couple of centuries. I’ll also point out that various medical treatments discussed in 1665, sold to the public as wonder-drugs....had ZERO effect. Having people around to care for you...ensuring you didn’t get dehydrated, and that you got enough calories to survive each day....probably meant more than any treatment of the time.