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From: Carol Hansing <>
Subject: Re: [MOANDREW] Why your ancestor died of diphtheria
Date: Sun, 31 Aug 2008 12:08:30 -0700 (PDT)
In-Reply-To: <DE58FB4AF4474272894EE243EBAFC067@Zhark>


Wow Monica, that is interesting, especially that last statement. LOL I have to wonder if Dr. Smith drank with some of his patients to get through the crisis as well.

Carol (Songs) Hansing

--- On Sun, 8/31/08, Monica Schirmer Eshelman <> wrote:
From: Monica Schirmer Eshelman <>
Subject: [MOANDREW] Why your ancestor died of diphtheria
To:
Date: Sunday, August 31, 2008, 11:54 AM

Found this interesting tidbit about diphtheria (and Dr. Spicer) in Andrew
County, and marveled at how much we've learned about medicine since 1880.

Monica

Source: St. Joseph Medical and Surgical Reporter, 1880, pp. 151-52
"Evening Session"



"Dr. Spicer, of Andrew County, read a volunteer paper on the treatment of
diphtheria, which, he said, was at present epidemic in Andrew County. The
doctor gave a detailed statement of the symptoms of the disease, and outlined
his treatment. In Fillmore, out of a population of 1,500, they had had twenty
cases and four deaths. He wanted to know how frequent[ly] cases occurred
elsewhere, and some statement as to treatment by others.



"Dr. Goslin stated that there were a number of cases in Holt County,
chiefly along the water courses. He also gave some account of cases in his
practice. The chief cause was, he thought, blood poison, and that was what they
had to combat. Dr. Goslin gave his treatment of the disease, and if there was
an epidemic of diphtheria, he calculated physicians would lose from twenty to
fifty per cent.



"Dr. Smith said he had been through three epidemics of diphtheria, but he
had no better remedies than heroic doses of quinine and whisky. He kept the
patient drunk from the start."

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