Waist Belts! Wear them at your own peril!
The greatest destroyer of health, life, and beauty in the civilized world!
Osteomyeltis of the femur, as a result of scarlet fever
Osteomyelitis is an intensely painful, often disastrous infection of the bone, which can have grave consequences. This case was the sequelae of a case of scarlet fever (a body-wide rash caused by strep throat), and resulted in amputation of the limb. This patient survived, but a large percentage of patients did not. Prior to antibiotics, many who contracted osteomyelitis (due to scarlet fever or other reasons) developed severe bacteremia (bacteria in the bloodstream), which often progressed to sepsis and death.
Think you have strep throat? See a doctor!
An American Text-Book of Surgery, for Practitioners and Students. Ed. William W. Keen & J. William White, 1899.
Homolochunia valdiviae
These crabs from the family Podotremata are from the deep sea, off the Eastern coast of Africa. Very little information exists about their size and habits, but they’re known to live near Mozambique and Tanzania.
Deutsche Tiefsee-Expedition, 1898-99, Bd. VI.
Diphtheric Conjunctivitis
While many people who know of the infectious disease diphtheria - which we’re protected against by the TDaP vaccine, and which was the impetus for the “Great Race of Mercy”, which is commemorated by the Iditarod - know that it can cause systemic infections and death by suffocation, one of the most common complications is often confused for other conditions.
Diphtheria can cause an acute conjunctivitis if the bacteria infect the conjunctiva of the eye. If it is not brought under control promptly, the toxins exuded by the bacteria can cause necrosis in both the eyelid and the cornea, which can lead to serious vision problems or blindness in patients.
Historically, blindness was a major problem for survivors of diphtheria, scarlet fever, ocular gonorrhea, and smallpox.
Atlas of the External Diseases of the Eye. Dr. O. Haab, 1899.
Kyphoscoliosis at full term and after death during labor
Due to a “rachitic” (in this case meaning stunted) pelvis and general deformity, this woman was advised to give birth in a hospital setting. However, either because of inconvenience or inability, she labored at home for many hours, before sending for her doctor. While she succumbed during late labor, the infant survived due to a post-mortem C-section.
Because of the much weakened abdominal muscles and narrow pelvis from kyphoscoliosis, it is unlikely this woman would have ever been able to give birth without assistance. Unfortunately, Caesarian sections were generally not considered for at-risk women before death in North America until the 1920s, and until the 1890s, the mortality rate of the procedure hovered around 85%, meaning that it was only considered if the woman appeared to already be deceased or was in imminent threat of dying.
A Text-Book of Obstetrics. Barton Cooke Hearst, 1899.
PLATE XXVIII: Discomedusae (now Ulmaridae)
Kunstformen der Natur. Ernst Haeckel, 1899.
Eczema of the cornea, conjunctiva, hairy scalp, lips, and nose
Patient was a delicate boy of 11 years, and had suffered inflammation of the conjunctiva for upwards of 2 years. Condition recently deteriorated to involve the scalp and mucous membranes of the face, as well as the cornea.
Between 15 and 30% of children develop eczema of some form during childhood, with many developing recurrent atopic (a hypersensitivity allergy erupting in an area not directly in contact with the allergen) eczema.
By adulthood, many of those children have outgrown the condition, and only around 5% of adults have an outbreak of atopic dermatitis. Outbreaks generally include large areas of dry, scaly skin, with itchy, inflamed, and occasionally weeping lesions, especially in the flexures of the elbow and knee. Atlas of the External Diseases of the Eye. Dr. O. Haab, 1899.
Herpes zoster ophthalmalacus
[Yes, "herpes of the eye" is a real thing. It's actually multiple things.]
Herpes zoster, the virus that causes chicken pox and shingles, can infect the fifth cranial nerve, causing ocular manifestations (corneal inflammation and intense pain) and facial shingles. It's considered an ophthalmic emergency, as permanent damage can be caused to the ocular nerve and eyeball.
Herpes simplex, the virus that causes oral and genital herpes, can also infect the eye, causing herpes keratitis, which is also an ophthalmic emergency. Both eye infections can cause scarring along the visual axis, and permanent vision impairment, and generally have to be treated with antiviral pills and eyedrops.
Atlas of the External Diseases of the Eye. Dr. O. Haab, 1899.
"As bad a mode of warfare as poisoning the wells of the enemy..."
In 1675, the first major agreement on chemical warfare was brokered between France and the Holy Roman Empire in Strasbourg. The treaty prohibited the use of poisoned bullets and missiles (such as arrows), and was, for the most part, actually fairly well-observed by all sides.
Chemical warfare, though still proposed from time-to-time by weapons engineers and strategists, was largely dismissed until near the end of the 19th century as “dirty” and “as bad a mode of warfare as poisoning the wells of the enemy”. Even the early snipers near the end of the US Civil War (though despised by many) were seen as more honorable and justifiable than chemical attacks. Various attempts at this kind of warfare were used in limited extent by small groups and nations not interested in such niceties, but there is little evidence that Western nations engaged in such tactics on large scale.
In 1899, the great powers of the world once again recognized the threat that emerging technologies and discoveries could pose to both peace and human (or at least civilian) rights in wartime. This resulted in the Hague Declaration of 1899, which prohibited the use of chemicals, toxins, or biological agents against others. However, the declaration was not binding to any nation, as it was not unanimously agreed upon. Still, a fragile agreement still stood among all, and chemical warfare was still off the battlefields for the time being.
That is, of course, until the Great War broke out, and one Fritz Haber would change the world forever…
More on the History of Chemical Warfare:
Happy Columbus Day, US residents! Let's celebrate with one of his greatest achievements!
Top: Gummatous ulcer of left nipple - Patient 24 years of age, drummer, suffering from syphilis for 6 months. Has been under continuous mercurial treatment during that time but in spite of that has broken out in ulcers across body, 74 in number. Patient emaciated and anemic. Broad scar from syphilitic sclerosis at base of penis.
Bottom: Gumma of the breast - Patient 41 years of age, noticed tumerous growth on side of breast one year ago, recently began ulcerating with gummatous lesions forming nearby. Reports being otherwise healthy. Examination showed scarring from old papules around breast, labia majora, and anus. Swelling of inguinal and axillary glands.
Atlas of Syphilis and the Venereal Diseases. L. Bolton Bangs, 1899.
Papulopustular exanthema. Hereditary Syphilis.
Baby, 4 weeks old. 5 1/2 lbs when admitted to the Foundling Asylum. Suffering from bronchitis and intestinal catarrh. Skin pale, wrinkled, thick, and covered in syphilitic eruption. Flaccid, partially degenerated epidermis. Died after 24 hours. Autopsy showed double lobular pneumonia and syphilitic osteochondritis at the epiphyses of the tibiae.
From Atlas of Syphilis and the Venereal Diseases, edited by L. Bolton Bangs, M.D., 1899.
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When women who may not otherwise be able to afford treatment had advanced syphilis and got pregnant, physicians recommended that they were treated for at least the last six months of the pregnancy. Some of the first major public health initiatives having to do with venereal diseases were "mercy organizations" providing for the syphilis treatment of poor pregnant women, if they adhered to certain moral standards while being provided for. If they began treatment by the beginning of the second trimester, there was less than a 15% chance that the baby would be born syphilitic.
These days, mothers with HIV or AIDS on anti-retrovirals can get much the same benefit as the mothers with syphilis did back then: we don't have a complete cure for the advanced disease, but we can still ensure that the majority of babies born to those infected are born without the disease themselves.
The hearse hired by the more well-to-do patrons in Black River Falls, WI. Charles von Schaick collection, 1899.