Typhoid Fever

JohnW.

2nd Lieutenant
Joined
Sep 12, 2016
Location
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Willie+Lincoln.jpg


Feared and often fatal, typhoid fever was one of the most terrible epidemic diseases in the 1800s. Typhoid is an intestinal infection that is spread by ingesting food or water contaminated with the bacteria called "Salmonella typhi". Such contamination was usually widespread in army camps, and caused huge epidemics. During the Civil War, there were 75,418 cases in white Union soldiers and 27,,058 (36%) of then died. Black troops encountered the disease at a comparable rate, and the Confederate records that exist indicate a similar experience.
The disease was at its peak during the first full year of the war (July 1, 1861, to June 30, 1862). During that period, 5.9% of Union soldiers (based on the army's mean strength that year) were diagnosed with typhoid fever; 2% of the entire army died from it. The next year, when there was still active recruitment, 4.9% of the men reportedly had typhoid fever and 1.7% died.
In subsequent years, the incidence of typhoid fever averaged about 1.5% of the army's mean strength, and less than 1% died. There are no exact statistics on the incidence of disease in Confederate troops during this period, but anecdotal reports from physicians and commanders suggest a similar experience.
Patients with severe typhoid experience fever and severe generalized malaise as the bacteria spreads through the body. These patients usually develop transient red skin lesions called "rose spots" and have diminished mental function. Paralysis of wall muscles in the bowel can lead to intestinal dilation, distending the abdomen; nineteenth-century physicians described this phenomenon as "adynamia". Diarrhea or constipation may occur, and performation of the intestine can lead to death. Typhoid can also cause bronchitis, leading to pneumonia.
There were no effective treatments for typhoid. Physicians attempted to treat the symptoms using analgesics and quinine (as an antipyretic), and tried to find a palatable, appropriate diet for sufferers. Occasionally, these measures did some good. However, some physicians prescribed calomel for typhoid fever, causing mercury poisoning in many of the patients.
Excerpted from: "Civil War Medicine: Challenges and Triumphs" by Alfred Jay Bollet, M.D.

PHOTO: President Lincoln's son, Willie, who died of typhoid fever at age 11.

Courtesy of Civil War Rx
 
Willie+Lincoln.jpg


Feared and often fatal, typhoid fever was one of the most terrible epidemic diseases in the 1800s. Typhoid is an intestinal infection that is spread by ingesting food or water contaminated with the bacteria called "Salmonella typhi". Such contamination was usually widespread in army camps, and caused huge epidemics. During the Civil War, there were 75,418 cases in white Union soldiers and 27,,058 (36%) of then died. Black troops encountered the disease at a comparable rate, and the Confederate records that exist indicate a similar experience.
The disease was at its peak during the first full year of the war (July 1, 1861, to June 30, 1862). During that period, 5.9% of Union soldiers (based on the army's mean strength that year) were diagnosed with typhoid fever; 2% of the entire army died from it. The next year, when there was still active recruitment, 4.9% of the men reportedly had typhoid fever and 1.7% died.
In subsequent years, the incidence of typhoid fever averaged about 1.5% of the army's mean strength, and less than 1% died. There are no exact statistics on the incidence of disease in Confederate troops during this period, but anecdotal reports from physicians and commanders suggest a similar experience.
Patients with severe typhoid experience fever and severe generalized malaise as the bacteria spreads through the body. These patients usually develop transient red skin lesions called "rose spots" and have diminished mental function. Paralysis of wall muscles in the bowel can lead to intestinal dilation, distending the abdomen; nineteenth-century physicians described this phenomenon as "adynamia". Diarrhea or constipation may occur, and performation of the intestine can lead to death. Typhoid can also cause bronchitis, leading to pneumonia.
There were no effective treatments for typhoid. Physicians attempted to treat the symptoms using analgesics and quinine (as an antipyretic), and tried to find a palatable, appropriate diet for sufferers. Occasionally, these measures did some good. However, some physicians prescribed calomel for typhoid fever, causing mercury poisoning in many of the patients.
Excerpted from: "Civil War Medicine: Challenges and Triumphs" by Alfred Jay Bollet, M.D.

PHOTO: President Lincoln's son, Willie, who died of typhoid fever at age 11.

Courtesy of Civil War Rx
I've been meaning to look up some of the diseases that affected the armies during the CW, many now eradicated due to modern medicine. I've often wondered what the difference was between this and dysentery, so I'm going to look it up now...presuming both had something to do with hygiene measures, or lack of them, in place at the time.
 
Dysentery is caused by bacteria, viruses or parasites usually ingested from a contaminated source. The treatment is hydration of the patient, as much as that is possible, and it normally subsides in about 10 days, with about a 2-4 week recovery period. If the disease is left untreated, the prognosis varies with the immune status of the individual patient and the severity of disease. Extreme dehydration can delay recovery and significantly raises the risk for serious complications. I will have to look up the statistics for the CW to see how they compare with Typhoid during the same period. Obviously took a lot of men out of action at the time.
 
There were a whole host of Civil War diseases during the war. The worst disease was Dysentery.

This one disease accounted for around 45,000 deaths in the Union army and around 50,000 deaths in the Confederate army.

The reason Dysentery and so many other diseases were able to spread so rapidly through both armies was primarily because of a lack of sanitation practices and contaminated water.

Sanitation and hygiene were not a big issue when it came to healthcare during this time.

This was not because doctors and nurses were negligent. They just did not know any better.

Civil War Medicine was not yet advanced enough to connect a lack of hygiene with disease.

Simple things such as placing a latrine downstream and away from the clean water supply were often overlooked. This foul water would quickly lead to water contamination which made the development and spread of disease much more frequent.

Patients-at-Armory-Square-Hospital-Washington-D.C.-300x215.jpg

Patients at Armory Square Hospital, Washington, D.C.


An interesting book that provides a great deal of information about Civil War diseases is Nature’s Civil War. It describes what the soldiers really had to endure just to keep themselves healthy in such an unhealthy environment.

There were many diseases during the Civil War. Here is a brief look at some of the major Civil War diseases that people had to contend with:

Typhoid
Typhoid was another major killer. This disease was a result of contaminated water or food. Typhoid killed around 30,000 Confederate and 35,000 Union troops during the war. 1 out of every 3 people who contracted this disease died of it.

Pneumonia
Pneumonia was responsible for the deaths of 20,000 Union and 17,000 Confederate troops. 1 in 6 people who got this disease died from it. Stonewall Jackson died from Pneumonia after being shot during the battle of Chancellorsville by his own men.

Pneumonia was more of an opportunistic type of disease. It looked for weak people to inject itself into. If you became wounded on the battlefield or became sick with something else there was a good chance Pneumonia was going to find you.

Measles
Measles killed a lot of people during the Civil War around 11,000 soldiers in total. Not as many as other diseases did but it had its fair share. With so many people gathered in such small areas this disease was able to spread rapidly. About 1 in 20 people who got this disease died as a result of it.

Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis killed about 14,000 soldiers during the war. There was no known cure for it during the war. Even today there is no real cure, it can be treated but never cured. Once you get this disease you get it for life.

Malaria
Malaria was also prevalent during the war killing roughly 30,000 soldiers. This number is high but considering around 3 million people contracted the disease it was not often fatal. This was due in large part to the readily available supply of quinine, which was used to successfully prevent and treat the disease.

The biggest thing that all of these Civil War diseases had in common was that nobody had any idea how to cure them. With the exception of Malaria.

This spelled bad news if you were one of the unfortunate ones to come down with any of these diseases.

All that, as well as shells and bullets...it's a wonder any of them survived with less than perfect diets, a lot of hard marching, and little rest on top of it all.
 
There were many diseases during the Civil War. Here is a brief look at some of the major Civil War diseases that people had to contend with:
Measles
Measles killed a lot of people during the Civil War around 11,000 soldiers in total. Not as many as other diseases did but it had its fair share. With so many people gathered in such small areas this disease was able to spread rapidly. About 1 in 20 people who got this disease died as a result of it.

This spelled bad news if you were one of the unfortunate ones to come down with any of these diseases. All that, as well as shells and bullets...it's a wonder any of them survived with less than perfect diets, a lot of hard marching, and little rest on top of it all.
A pretty large number also died from mumps, something I remember (from personal experience) as a minor inconvenience. Also hepatitis A - the kind from contaminated food/water - although one of the oldest diseases in the world, was not discovered/diagnosed until 1973...was likely a disease of prominence and probably fatal in some instances.

I wonder what kind of impact that may have had on his leadership at the time, if any?
There are several previous threads on Lee's ailments at Gettysburg and the impact they may have had on his abilities. These may be of interest...
https://civilwartalk.com/threads/lees-health-before-the-battle-of-gettysburg.91163/
http://civilwartalk.com/threads/did-lee-have-a-heart-attack-at-gettysburg.6094/
 
I recently heard a term for what we now call congestive heart failure. Anyone know what this was called during the 1860's?
 
A pretty large number also died from mumps, something I remember (from personal experience) as a minor inconvenience. Also hepatitis A - the kind from contaminated food/water - although one of the oldest diseases in the world, was not discovered/diagnosed until 1973...was likely a disease of prominence and probably fatal in some instances.


There are several previous threads on Lee's ailments at Gettysburg and the impact they may have had on his abilities. These may be of interest...
https://civilwartalk.com/threads/lees-health-before-the-battle-of-gettysburg.91163/
http://civilwartalk.com/threads/did-lee-have-a-heart-attack-at-gettysburg.6094/
I never thought about mumps. It never seems to rate a mention, or Hep A for that matter - not surprising if it was only first discovered/diagnosed in 1973...not that long ago in the overall scheme of things! My sister went deaf in one ear from mumps after contracting it as a child, so I know it can have some dramatic effects. Not sure what her status was regarding vaccination at the time, but consider the fact that during the CW there were none! No wonder disease spread as rapidly as it did with such dire consequences, not forgetting the lack of understanding around hygiene.

I am now going to take a look at the articles you have posted re: General Lee which I will read with much interest. Thanks so much for posting them @lelliot19
 
Typhoid is still a problem in many countries. We've visited Mexico (Cozumel), Honduras (Roatan), Belize and the Phillipines to scuba dive and have needed an up to date vaccination for all of them.
Not so long ago....well it was in the early 1970's so i guess it was a long time ago....I had to have another Typhoid shot before I could go to camp. I suppose swimming in the river and such was considered a risk that required a booster.
 
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