Tetanus, also known as lockjaw, is now prevented by vaccine, but in the early 20th century it was still a surge that affected farmers and gardeners especially. Popular belief is that rust causes tetanus. It doesn’t, but the bacteria is found in soil, manure, dust and saliva. The bacteria enters the body through a cut […]
Rheumatic Fever: An Ailment From a Bygone Era
Rheumatic fever is not a disease you hear much about in the 21st century. It is a disease, however, that plays a minor role in my WW1 Trilogy as Hettie Bartlette’s father, Benjamin, suffers from the ailment. What is rheumatic fever? It is a complication that can result from streptococcal infections such as strep throat. It […]
Tuberculosis: Necessitated the Opening of Sanatoriums
Tuberculosis, also known as consumption, was a common disease in the 19th century. So common, in fact, that sanatoriums were opened for treatment of the disease. These institutions exposed patients to fresh air and provided proper nutrition; however, for many patients it was where they died. Public campaigns were organized to stop spitting and encouraged people […]
Cholera: The Mere Mention of the Word Caused Fear
Cholera. The mere mention of the word was enough to cause fear in 19th century communities. The disease struck suddenly and killed quickly. Its cause wasn’t identified until the 1850s. Symptoms Cholera is caused by a bacteria and, like typhoid, is spread by food or water contaminated with feces. Basic sanitation and water purification can […]
Diphtheria: Inspiration for a Race Held Annually Since 1925
In the early 20th century, diphtheria was among the top 10 causes of death. Death rates, however, were dropping. An antitoxin was developed in 1890 and began being used on patients the following year. It worked by neutralizing the toxins produced by the Corynebacterium diphtheriae bacterium. Sometimes the antitoxin, which was taken from horses, was […]
Pneumonia: Leading Cause of Death in the Early 20th Century
In the days before antibiotics many people died from communicable diseases. One of these diseases was pneumonia. At the turn-of-the-20th-century it was the leading cause of death, and 40 percent of those who died were under the age of five. Adults, of course, were not immune. Women were susceptible to pneumonia because their tight corsets […]
The Spanish Flu Pandemic of 1918: More Devastating Than WW1
Most years the flu is nothing more than an annoyance, killing only a small portion of the population. One pandemic, the Spanish Flu Pandemic of 1918, went on to become the most devastating in human history. Despite the name, the virus did not originate in Spain. Spain was neutral in World War One. As a […]