WWI Trilogy

Navigating the Heartache WWI Brings

Tetanus

Tetanus: A Once Common Disease for Farmers and Gardeners

July 17, 2019 By Melina Druga Off

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 through a cut or a burn.  The incubation period can last anywhere from three to 21 days.

Starting in the 1890s, the disease was treated with an antitoxin. The vaccine wasn’t developed until the 1920s.

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.

Where to Purchase the WWI Trilogy

This post is a companion piece to Melina Druga’s WWI Trilogy: Angel of Mercy, Those Left Behind and Adjustment Year.  The trilogy focuses on Hettie and her family as they navigate the challenges and heartbreak World War I brings.

Angel of Mercy:  A nurse reluctantly sacrifices her career for marriage. An impending war will change her, and her husband’s, life forever.  Available in eBook, paperback and hardcover.  Click here for a full list of retailers.

Those Left Behind:  The brewing winds of war will soon rip the family apart. Available in eBook, paperback and hardcover.  Click here for a full list of retailers.

Adjustment Year:  A war nurse returns home. Society expects her to carry on as if the Great War never happened. But how can she?  Available in eBook, paperback and hardcover.  Click here for a full list of retailers.

CategoryMedical History
Tagsdiseases

About The Author

Melina Druga writes about the past because although school history classes may have been boring, the past was not.  Her era of expertise, and obsession, is 1890-1920 with a particular focus on the Great War and how it affected the lives of ordinary people.  Druga is the author of the WWI Trilogy.