TB

Joseph T. Brown was born to Stephen Brown and Mary Reynolds on June 26, 1833, in Deerfield New Hampshire living with mother Mary and father Stephen Brown. Joseph lived on the Deerfield Parade for many years and worked as a farmer. His first wife Mary birthed two children Cora May Brown and George Woodbury Brown. Mary E. B. Brown Joe’s former wife died of tuberculosis. Quite a few years later Joe Brown Died in March 28, 1895 of tuberculosis. We know not a lot of information about how tuberculosis was treated then, and have much more information on it now, but this is what we did know then. (and a little bit about it)

Year in, and year out this terrible disease continues to take twice as many lives as any other disease. Tuberculosis was quoted “The most fatal disease know to man” in the 1800’s. Within a period of three years (1885-1887) tuberculosis took the lives of over 2,432 people, and that was just tuberculosis alone there were other diseases that caused deaths. Some of which were heart disease, pneumonia, apoplexy and paralysis but tuberculosis continued to be the top killer of thousands of innocent men, women and children. Other names or ‘nick names’ for the disease were consumption, phthisis, phthisis pulmonalis, and tubercular consumption. Tuberculosis is a disease affecting various tissues of the body, but mostly the lungs. Tuberculosis often was the highest among all diseases to kill people, and is hard not to catch. You must go through drastic measures to stay clear from absolutely and sputum (spit) that has been dried. Consumption is caused by a germ known as the ‘tubercle bacillus’. Tubercle is a small swelling on the surface of the body or in a part or organ. The most positive way to prevent this horrid disease is to permanently destruct all sputum that is infected by tuberculosis before it has dried or, before the seeds of the disease spread through out and scatter. Try to never spit into a handkerchief or cloth that will be allowed to sit and dry, where another individual can breathe in the sputum. If you do use a handkerchief, soak them vigorously into a bucket of boiling water and let them to sit out and dry before you store them with any other linen’s at all. The sources of infection of tuberculosis are spit (sputum), bowel discharges and pus from any abscesses or surfaces of tuberculosis.

Above: A foot with a tuberculosis sore.
Source - http://www.nyerrn.com/2/p/c.htm

Joe Brown must have gone through many serious precautions at home to prevent to spreading it to any people who would have lived in his house at the time. First off it was important to spit into a special cup kept for the purpose of spitting into, in which there is a disinfecting solution that will burn all contents. And to make sure you boil the cup of course. If you own any livestock do not spit around to where the animals have any access to the matter for cattle and fowls can become infected with the disease also. It was also very important that if you were infected with tuberculosis to never kiss anyone on the mouth, for it is almost certain that they could become infected with the disease. For Joe it would have been important to stay smooth shaven at anytime possible, for it is impossible to keep a beard clean from tuberculosis infection, and to also keep his bed linens clean and thoroughly washed (but these days it is proven that you cannot catch tuberculosis from bed linens or sharing cups with others). Tuberculosis was a very serious illness that noticed as a persistent cough that lags on, high fevers, lost of appetite, awful night sweats and constant tiredness. Yet, it was proven that a patient does not need to stay in the house at all times, they just need to take extreme precautions and use the suggestions given and destroy all sputum. And today it is also proven that people who come down with the disease often have day-to-day contact with someone who has the disease, such as someone who works in the medical field, or someone that spends lots of hands on time with an infected family member can breathe in the germs and become infected. Back in the 1880’s it was said that the disease was caught by inheritance, which now we know that it was not, and if you got it, it usually meant that you caught it from a family member. Tuberculosis was thought of as an incurable disease, although it was generally thought as incurable by the public, we know now that it is very much so curable. It was very curable as long as they could catch it in its early stages. If it was caught in the later stages people thought they were doomed, and there could have been a great number of recoveries.

Above: Seattle University students line up to receive chest x-rays from a Public Health mobile clinic
Source: http://www.metrokc.gov/health/about/history/tb.htm

My Opinion on this disease is that they knew not a lot of medical information on tuberculosis at the time and could no do anything about it. Which led to Joe and many other people to do lots of things to prevent it that were not necessary but they knew nothing different. And now I have so much information the disease its self, but I wish that I new what Joe himself had to go through when he had the disease, and how harsh it actually was. By reading all this information we find that it was very dreadful, but I wish I could have known how bad it actually truly was. I have very much enjoyed researching and learning more about the disease and how it was apart of Joe Brown’s life.