Bronchitis in the ACW

[Sheltowee]

Read an article which included the statement-

"Bronchitis was more common among sailors than soldiers during the American Civil War."

Source: Reid, Richard M. (2014). African Canadians in Union Blue: Volunteering for the Cause in the Civil War. Vancouver, British Columbia: UBC Press. ISBN 978-0-7748-2745-4

So- if correct- why would the disease be more common amongst the sailors? Don't know much about bronchitis and the causes.

 

[Doc_Ralph]

Read an article which included the statement-

"Bronchitis was more common among sailors than soldiers during the American Civil War."

Source: Reid, Richard M. (2014). African Canadians in Union Blue: Volunteering for the Cause in the Civil War. Vancouver, British Columbia: UBC Press. ISBN 978-0-7748-2745-4

So- if correct- why would the disease be more common amongst the sailors? Don't know much about bronchitis and the causes.

Cramped quarters on vessels and other environmental conditions like lack of sanitation and perhaps sharing a bottle of rum or wine. Of course, miasma cannot be totally ruled out as the smell down below must have been awful. Stink is never good…

 

[CWdiaryPA]

Were war ships running on coal? Breathing those fumes worsens it. Were they smoking in enclosed quarters? Was the average age of these sailors older than infantry? That might be a variable. Still, if there's salt in the air, that would aid the lungs. Probably on average sailors smoked more per capita than those on land. Or, people at sea tended to be smokers, soldiers on land there weren't as many. I can't word this right, but you get the gist. Great Q.

 

[Doc_Ralph]

Were war ships running on coal? Breathing those fumes worsens it. Were they smoking in enclosed quarters? Was the average age of these sailors older than infantry? That might be a variable. Still, if there's salt in the air, that would aid the lungs. Probably on average sailors smoked more per capita than those on land. Or, people at sea tended to be smokers, soldiers on land there weren't as many. I can't word this right, but you get the gist. Great Q.

Yes these would all be contributing factors also.

 

[Doc_Ralph]

IMHO Miasma starts it all off tho.