Navigating the Heartache WWI Brings
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. 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…
Dreading that next trip to the dentist? You’re not alone. Patients a century ago, equally dreaded the visit, but thankfully, dentistry had modernized considerably by the early 20th century. At least, you could reasonably expect pain medication and a speedy drill. Let’s take a look at early 20th century dentistry. Dental schools got their start…
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. Popular belief is that rust causes tetanus. It doesn’t, but the bacteria that causes the disease is found in soil, manure, dust and saliva. The bacteria enters the body…
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…
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…
The need to threat burns in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was great. Women’s skirts would catch fire while cooking, or children’s clothing while playing too close to the fireplace or stove. An overturned kerosene or gas lamp would set a home or barn ablaze in minutes. During World War I, men also…
While a broken bone today can be a nuisance, in the early 20th century, it would be a serious, if not deadly, injury. People knew from ancient times to immobilize broken bones with a splint or a brace. Later, bone setters were used to move the bone into place before immobilization. The location of the…
Typhoid fever is a disease pandemic in areas without a clean water supply. In the Victorian era, before plumbing was common, and in the Edwardian era, in areas that still relied on outhouses, the disease was a daily threat. Public health campaigns encouraging people to wash their hands helped reduce the number of cases. So…
If war does have a silver lining, it’s the medical advances which come as a result. One of these advances is the blood transfusion. Blood transfusion was nothing new in 1914. Doctors had experimented with it since the 1600s. These early transfusions were from person to person, and sometimes didn’t work. Doctors weren’t sure why…
n 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…