Victorian Era Health & Medicine
Victorian Women's Health Issues
**Warning: This article contains sensitive material about women's health issues. We do not mean to be offensive by placing this information on the site but to inform of the health issues that 19th century women faced.**
The terms, "confinement" and "lying in" were 19th century synonyms for "pregnancy", also sometimes referred to as "feeling delicate", or simply, "that way". The polite terms used by and for urban Victorian women were "invalids" or "in the family way". No matter the term used to describe a pregnancy and childbirth were the most dangerous times in the life of a 19th century woman.
As early as 1860, scientific medical techniques existed by which physicians could diagnose pregnancy. These included "the ballottement"(a cervical examination), "asculation"(the listening for fetal movements), and a "Jacquemin's Test"(a test to measure color changes of the vagina). Many women, however, especially those on the frontier, were unable to pay the high fees of allopaths, or they lived in such remote settings that they really had limited medical recourse. Throughout the entire century, childbirth was the main cause of death among women. In many cases, puerperal fever mysteriously occurred following birth, and often brought a rapid death. It was not until the 1880s when doctors finally made a connection between germs (which could be found on doctor's hands and the unsterile instruments they used) with infection and death.
During delivery, ether and chloroform were used to help deaden the immense pain of childbirth, but not without great opposition from religious fanatics. Some felt that anesthesia during childbirth was sacreligious because they believed that the of birth was a curse upon women, and in order to produce and develop maternal love, suffering was necessary.
Wives were often frightened at the thought of being pregnant, but there was little they could do to avoid pregnancy as there was no real, reliable inexpensive form of contraception. In 1800, the average number of children that a married couple has was just over 7. By 1850, the number had dropped to 5.42 and by 1880, it dropped again to 4.24. These figures give evidence to the fact that during the first quarter of the century, few contraceptive choices existed, and those that were available, were exorbitantly priced. As early as the 1700s, condoms made from pig and sheep intestines were available(primarily in Europe), but reportedly cost as much as one dollar each, and so, rather than being discarded after use, they were instead washed and used again. Less expensive rubber condoms, which cost from 6 to 12 cents each, did not become widely available until the last quarter of the century.
From the 1830s on, newspaper carried advertisements for "female syringes" with the purpose of douching as a method of contraception. The syringe were typically sold along with certain chemicals that killed sperm, such as alum or sulphate of zinc and iron. Another contraceptive device for women was called the "pessary", informally know as "a pisser". It was widely sold in drugstores, avaialble in over a hundred different varieties, all "for the purpose of correcting a prolapsed uterus", but most women knew of its real intent. Still, many women remained either ignorant to, afriad of, or repulsed by "preventives". These women, therefore, practiced the simplest birth control method of all and the most morally acceptable: "coitus interruptus." At the same time, physicians warned that "withdrawal" was detrimental to a man's health.
From 1800 through 1825, approximately one in every twenty-five pregnancies was reportedly ended by abortive means. By the 1860s, the number soared to one in six births, and in some areas, even higher, due to the greater availability of and acceptance of the use of abortifacients. By the time of the Civil War, at least twenty-five different abortifacients were being sold at pharmacies and through newspaper advertisement. They were discreetly sold as patent medicine cures for "female problems" with euphamistic names such as "Infallible French Female Pills", and a "Cure for Interrupted Menstruation". By 1861, a woman could obtain a surgical abortion for anywhere from ten to one-hundred dollars, however, by this time, it was becoming more difficult to legally end a pregnancy. Between 1860 and 1890, forty states imposed anti-abortion statutes, which left the crucial decision largely to the physician. Contrary to common belief, during the first half of the century, abortion was, for the most part, generally accepted by society as long as it was performed in the early months of pregnancy. It was, however, still a cause for great shame for women and few talked openly about it. Once the anti-abortion statutes were widely in place, illegal abortion cased were usually dealt with leniently by the courts. Many cases simple lacked the evidence in order to convict. Some women, who either could not afford the fee for an abortion, or feared the legality of it, attempted to perform abortions on themselves, often with tragic results. Attempted methods included the use of abortifacients, rolling on the floor, jumping off furniture or stairs, and sadly, the use of blunt instruments.
Common Diseases of the 19th Century
There were many familiar diseases common in the 19th century. Several produced the same symptoms of fever, headache, coughing and vomiting. Because the symptoms of many diseases resembled each other, doctors often had a difficult time correctly diagnosing diseases. Most diseases affected people of all ages, but there were several that seemed to affect children in particular. Some of the diseases that most often affected children were:
Chicken Pox
Diptheria
Measles
Mumps
Scarlet Fever
Whooping Cough
Poliomyelitis
Poliomyelitis: A horrible disease that attacked the spinal cord and brain, often leaving any or all of a child's limbs paralyzed. Sadly, a child could simply awaken one morning and discover that he/she had polio. It seemed that only bedrest could offer any help in lessening the effects of the disease.
Ague: Many books or diaries written during the 19th century indicate times when people suffered from an ailment called, "ague". This was an all-encompassing term for symptoms of fever, chills, aches and pains, nosebleeds and a cough. What people actually had was Malaria. Malaria was spread by mosquitos and caused severe fevers, chills and weakness. Victims suffered outbreaks of the condition throughout their lives, and were vulnerable to numerous other potentially deadly diseases.
Catarrh: Another common term used during the era to describe an illness was "Catarrh". This illness usually had symptoms of a sore throat, a cough, laryngitis, and difficult breathing. Catarrh was also used to describe stomach problems, even those due to a poor diet. Catarrh meant everything from a cold to an upset stomach.
Cholera: One of the most dreaded diseases of the era was Cholera. It was an acute, infectious epidemic. There were different types of cholera, but all were higly contagious, and all had severe symptoms of nausea, vomiting, spasms, chills and thirst. Cholera was caused by bacillus, often which had contaminated water supplies. In the early 1800s, doctors tried to treat cholera by bleeding, blistering or cupping, or they suggested feeding milk to patients would cure the disease. There was a belief that one coulde catch cholera simply because they were afraid of it. Some people thought that the sun, the moon, comets, or too much oxygen in the atomsphere were the causes of the disease. Others believed that fruits and vegetables caused cholera, and they stopped eating these foods.
However, it was those people who suspected a connection between the arrival of immigrants and cholera epidemics who were actually correct in their thinking. The ships which brought immigrants to America were so filthy and over-crowded that many immigrants suffered cholera. Because of this, some places required that immigrants pay a "medical tax" before they were allowed to arrive in America. The tax money received was then used for medical services and cholera treatments. It was not uncommon for local residents to demostrate when ships carrying immigrants were about to land, for fear that those onboard carried the dreaded disease.
While many infected immigrants were confined to hospitals under quarantine, often quaratines did not prevent the spread of the disease, and in its more malignant forms, such as Asiatic Cholera, the disease was usually fatal. Cholera caused slowing of the blood circulation and when the skin began to appear bluish and shrunken, death was very near.
Diptheria: A common childhood disease, acute and highly contagious. A thick gray membrane formed in the child's throat, making it difficult for the child to breathe, as well as suffering from fever and severe weakness. Often, the disease weakened the child's heart and he/she died. A German scientist named Robert Koch performed extensive studies of diptheria and learned that the disease was caused by a bacillus(diptheria bacteria) that was only found in samples from the patient's throat. However, he noted that the diptheria was somehow affecting the victim's heart. He concluded that the bacilli produced poisonous toxins which circulated through the blood stream and damaged the cells of the heart.
Tuberculosis: The disease frequently referred to as "Consumption", was one of the most common causes of death throughout the century. Consumption meant that the body tissue was wasting away and entire families sometimes succombed to the disease after unknowingly passing the disease among each other. This disease was highly contagious. The tubercle bacteria(in which it received its name)could be carried in milk and other foods, or in the saliva of a person who already had the disease. The bacteria was also airbourne meaning when the tuberculosis victim coughed, the air would carry the bacteria. If the victim spat, the ground would be contaminated. Spitting became a crime punishable by a severe penalty because the tuberculosis bacteria lived for a long time in the dirt. Only direct sunlight killed the bacteria.
Benjamin Rush believed the disease could be caused by tobacco smoking(among other things) and cured by using opium or by vigorous horseback riding and eating a meat diet, as well as his bleeding and purging rememdies. Other "quacks" prescribed equally strange cures, including smoking cow dung, drinking a mixture of elephant's blood and milk, eating butter made from the cream of cows that grazed in churchyards, and eating mice boiled in salt and oil. Naturally, all of these suggestions were ridiculous, but tuberculosis victims were desperate enough to try anything! Some people believed that the disease was a punishment from God and most doctors felt that tuberculosis could not be cured.
Smallpox: One of the most contagious and most feared diseases of the early 19th century was smallpox. It affected people of all ages, but was fatal to especially young children and the elderly. Smallpox was caused by a virus whereby little pustules(blisters) formed on the skin. Blisters also formed on the inside of the mouth and throat, sometimes swelling and preventing a person from breathing. There was no vaccination for smallpox, however, people found that those who had survived a case of smallpox did not catch the disease again. Therefore, people attempted to catch a mild case of the disease from people who were suffering from it. It was not always easy to do this and certainly not safe. Often, this process would backfire and people suffered a severe attack. People would use arm to arm innoculation. This process, healthy people would take the smallpox virus from the sores of people who had been innoculated the previous week, then cut the skin on their own arm and rub the virus into the cut. The virus would enter their system and hopefully brought on a mild case of smallpox. These attempts were very risky and often fatal.
**This article was written & is copyrighted to Dawn Aiello. It is used with Ms. Aiello's permission. Her website is: Victorian Lace ~ Victorian Lifestyles: The Victorian Era***
 
"Miniature Concerto for Piano and Orchestra"
by Joseph Haydn
Updated: December 10, 2006
©Ladies of Reenacting, 2003-2007
All Rights Reserves unless otherwise noted.
|
