• Author
• Recent Posts

Follow Me

Melina Druga

Most kids have an active imagination.My imagination has stayed strong into adulthood, and I’ve funneled that creativity into a successful writing career.I write history, both fiction and nonfiction, because although your school history classes may have been boring, the past is not.My goal is to bring the past to life in all its myriad of colors.

Follow Me

Latest posts by Melina Druga (see all)

• Alaskans Celebrate July Fourth:This Week in History - July 6, 2020
• How to Throw a Book Launch Party - July 3, 2020
• An Excerpt of A Cobbler’s Tale - July 2, 2020

Tetanus, also known as lockjaw, is now prevented by vaccine, but in the early 20^th 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 or a burn.  The incubation period can last anywhere from three to 21 days.

A vaccine to prevent the disease wasn’t developed until the 1920s.  Before that, starting in the 1890s, the disease was treated with an antitoxin.

Symptoms of Tetanus

• Muscles spasms or stiffness that begins in the jaw
• Fever
• Rapid heart beat
• Sweating
• Tightening of the vocal cords
• Difficulty breathing
• Muscle spasms that can last for several minutes and involve the entire body, some severe enough to break bones
• Headache
• Trouble swallowing

About 10 percent of cases are fatal.

How do you think farmers dealt with the disease before the invention of the antitoxin?  Leave a comment below.

Enjoy history and historical fiction?  Join the mailing list and stay up-to-date on book releases, news, beta reading opportunities and more.