Comments on: Missionaries and Smallpox, 1900 http://www.juvenileinstructor.org/missionaries-and-smallpox-1900/ Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:20:29 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: L. Campos http://www.juvenileinstructor.org/missionaries-and-smallpox-1900/comment-page-1/#comment-15647 L. Campos Fri, 26 Sep 2008 02:38:47 +0000 http://www.juvenileinstructor.org/missionaries-and-smallpox-1900/#comment-15647 I've been researching my grandmother's background. She and her sisters were the lone survivors of a smallpox epidemic in the border town of Rio Grande right across from Brownsville, Texas in the mid-1900;s. Her mother and siblings all died leaving her father widowed. My grandmother had a poxed face. I never realized how very serious small pox was back then. Your article helped validate my grandmother's story; small pox knew no boundaries and probably crossed over into mexico through the frequent workers who went back and forth. I’ve been researching my grandmother’s background. She and her sisters were the lone survivors of a smallpox epidemic in the border town of Rio Grande right across from Brownsville, Texas in the mid-1900;s. Her mother and siblings all died leaving her father widowed. My grandmother had a poxed face. I never realized how very serious small pox was back then. Your article helped validate my grandmother’s story; small pox knew no boundaries and probably crossed over into mexico through the frequent workers who went back and forth.

]]> By: Ardis Parshall http://www.juvenileinstructor.org/missionaries-and-smallpox-1900/comment-page-1/#comment-10535 Ardis Parshall Tue, 15 Jul 2008 20:52:54 +0000 http://www.juvenileinstructor.org/missionaries-and-smallpox-1900/#comment-10535 Edje, I just sent you some clips about smallpox among missionaries in the Eastern States Mission from the first few years of the 20th century. Maybe they will be of interest as a contemporary contrast to your study of the Texas missionary. Edje, I just sent you some clips about smallpox among missionaries in the Eastern States Mission from the first few years of the 20th century. Maybe they will be of interest as a contemporary contrast to your study of the Texas missionary.

]]> By: Ardis Parshall http://www.juvenileinstructor.org/missionaries-and-smallpox-1900/comment-page-1/#comment-10534 Ardis Parshall Tue, 15 Jul 2008 20:43:14 +0000 http://www.juvenileinstructor.org/missionaries-and-smallpox-1900/#comment-10534 Edje, I'll have to go back through the materials I've collected on the Turkish mission to find some specific references for you. The reason I remember it at all is because I wrote one of my women's history posts on Gohar Yeghaian Davidian, who earned one of her many laurels by taking into her own home missionaries who were ill with smallpox. Edje, I’ll have to go back through the materials I’ve collected on the Turkish mission to find some specific references for you. The reason I remember it at all is because I wrote one of my women’s history posts on Gohar Yeghaian Davidian, who earned one of her many laurels by taking into her own home missionaries who were ill with smallpox.

]]> By: Edje http://www.juvenileinstructor.org/missionaries-and-smallpox-1900/comment-page-1/#comment-10533 Edje Tue, 15 Jul 2008 20:31:35 +0000 http://www.juvenileinstructor.org/missionaries-and-smallpox-1900/#comment-10533 J. Stapley: Thanks for the links to Jared*. I had forgotten about Alexander's discussion of the issue. Researcher: Thanks for the refs; both are new to me. If vaccination history's your thing... the Bluth thesis on Utah's smallpox vaccination struggle is available <a href="http://www.lib.byu.edu/dlib/spc/masters/" rel="nofollow">online</a>. J. Stapley: Thanks for the links to Jared*. I had forgotten about Alexander’s discussion of the issue.

Researcher: Thanks for the refs; both are new to me. If vaccination history’s your thing… the Bluth thesis on Utah’s smallpox vaccination struggle is available online.

]]> By: Edje http://www.juvenileinstructor.org/missionaries-and-smallpox-1900/comment-page-1/#comment-10532 Edje Tue, 15 Jul 2008 20:23:46 +0000 http://www.juvenileinstructor.org/missionaries-and-smallpox-1900/#comment-10532 Ardis: Turkish mission smallpox? What's the story? I am embarassed to have left out the sixth and most obvious possibility: immunity from surviving the disease. The fifth possibility I intended as a folklore coverall: they thought they knew how the disease worked and thus how to avoid it---by wearing garlic and a silver bullet or whatever. I detect no indication that Elder Brooks actually thought that way. Ardis: Turkish mission smallpox? What’s the story?

I am embarassed to have left out the sixth and most obvious possibility: immunity from surviving the disease. The fifth possibility I intended as a folklore coverall: they thought they knew how the disease worked and thus how to avoid it—by wearing garlic and a silver bullet or whatever. I detect no indication that Elder Brooks actually thought that way.

]]> By: Researcher http://www.juvenileinstructor.org/missionaries-and-smallpox-1900/comment-page-1/#comment-10521 Researcher Tue, 15 Jul 2008 16:57:42 +0000 http://www.juvenileinstructor.org/missionaries-and-smallpox-1900/#comment-10521 The history of vaccines and other medical advances is one of my favorite areas of reading. A good comprehensive overview is <em>Vaccine: The Controversial Story of Medicine's Greatest Lifesaver</em> (Allen, 2007). I mention it because it goes into some detail about the tension between religion and vaccination, including the fascinating story of Cotton Mather's role in promoting early smallpox inoculation. Thinking of immunizations in Salt Lake City in particular, I turned to <em>Of Medicines, Hospitals, and Doctors</em> (Richards, 1953). I can't find anything on smallpox, but on immunizations in general, he doesn't have too many kind words for early efforts in Salt Lake City. On diphtheria, which Richards said was the second leading cause of death in SLC during the 1900s: <blockquote>It will be noted that Salt Lake was tardy in inaugurating a program of prevention and slow in getting it underway. The first inoculations were given in 1922...[after the first successful vaccine was released in 1913].</blockquote> On typhoid fever, which struck periodically, including around 1911, when SLC had around 700 cases and 73 deaths in two years: <blockquote>In 1912, the Health Department advertised its willingness to give free immunization to any citizen who applied for the service. The response was disappointing [90 inoculations in 1912, 156 in 1913, 132 in 1914, 44 in 1915 and so forth]... When, during the 1920's, five cases of typhoid occurred in Magna, Utah, [Dr. Samuel Paul] again emphasized the desirability of mass immunization. Twenty-five hundred people responded, and typhoid was stamped out in that community. The citizens of Salt Lake City have never shown any such intelligent response in an effort to eliminate a public danger.</blockquote> Ouch! I know you all know the sources better than I do, but I always enjoy mentioning Richard's non-party-line view of early public health, surgery, hospitals, and mining/medical issues in Utah. The history of vaccines and other medical advances is one of my favorite areas of reading.

A good comprehensive overview is Vaccine: The Controversial Story of Medicine’s Greatest Lifesaver (Allen, 2007). I mention it because it goes into some detail about the tension between religion and vaccination, including the fascinating story of Cotton Mather’s role in promoting early smallpox inoculation.

Thinking of immunizations in Salt Lake City in particular, I turned to Of Medicines, Hospitals, and Doctors (Richards, 1953). I can’t find anything on smallpox, but on immunizations in general, he doesn’t have too many kind words for early efforts in Salt Lake City.

On diphtheria, which Richards said was the second leading cause of death in SLC during the 1900s:

It will be noted that Salt Lake was tardy in inaugurating a program of prevention and slow in getting it underway. The first inoculations were given in 1922…[after the first successful vaccine was released in 1913].

On typhoid fever, which struck periodically, including around 1911, when SLC had around 700 cases and 73 deaths in two years:

In 1912, the Health Department advertised its willingness to give free immunization to any citizen who applied for the service. The response was disappointing [90 inoculations in 1912, 156 in 1913, 132 in 1914, 44 in 1915 and so forth]… When, during the 1920′s, five cases of typhoid occurred in Magna, Utah, [Dr. Samuel Paul] again emphasized the desirability of mass immunization. Twenty-five hundred people responded, and typhoid was stamped out in that community. The citizens of Salt Lake City have never shown any such intelligent response in an effort to eliminate a public danger.

Ouch!

I know you all know the sources better than I do, but I always enjoy mentioning Richard’s non-party-line view of early public health, surgery, hospitals, and mining/medical issues in Utah.

]]> By: J. Stapley http://www.juvenileinstructor.org/missionaries-and-smallpox-1900/comment-page-1/#comment-10517 J. Stapley Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:55:13 +0000 http://www.juvenileinstructor.org/missionaries-and-smallpox-1900/#comment-10517 I think that the possibility of them being vaccinated is quite high. Joseph F. Smith talked about not being afraid to administer to those with Small Pox because his "guardians" had vaccinated him when young. Jared* has had at least a couple posts on the vaccination thing (<a href="http://ldsscience.blogspot.com/2005/02/joseph-f-smith-on-vaccination-and.html" rel="nofollow">here</a> and <a href="http://ldsscience.blogspot.com/2007/01/book-notes-church-and-smallpox.html" rel="nofollow">here</a>). I think that the possibility of them being vaccinated is quite high. Joseph F. Smith talked about not being afraid to administer to those with Small Pox because his “guardians” had vaccinated him when young. Jared* has had at least a couple posts on the vaccination thing (here and here).

]]> By: Ardis Parshall http://www.juvenileinstructor.org/missionaries-and-smallpox-1900/comment-page-1/#comment-10516 Ardis Parshall Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:53:02 +0000 http://www.juvenileinstructor.org/missionaries-and-smallpox-1900/#comment-10516 Except for the Turkish mission, I don't recall having come across smallpox in connection with missionaries before. Just one more thing for mothers to worry about ... I do, however, come across frequent references to smallpox epidemics in the part of Utah I have worked with the most -- it seemed to be a very common thing in the mining camps. Perhaps this is related to your 5th possibility, or maybe it's a 6th: these particular elders may have been immune (or thought they were immune) to smallpox due to prior exposure. But it seems that whether they believed they were immune due to prior exposure or due to spiritual protection, it seems they weren't taking unnecessary chances, by working in the "right" neighborhoods and then by going into the country. Except for the Turkish mission, I don’t recall having come across smallpox in connection with missionaries before. Just one more thing for mothers to worry about …

I do, however, come across frequent references to smallpox epidemics in the part of Utah I have worked with the most — it seemed to be a very common thing in the mining camps. Perhaps this is related to your 5th possibility, or maybe it’s a 6th: these particular elders may have been immune (or thought they were immune) to smallpox due to prior exposure.

But it seems that whether they believed they were immune due to prior exposure or due to spiritual protection, it seems they weren’t taking unnecessary chances, by working in the “right” neighborhoods and then by going into the country.

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