List of causes of Death from 1632

[Peteryougit]

I find this sort of thing really interesting. I’m sorry, I don’t have a direct link so I don’t know which region it’s from - l hope the photo attached okay.

”Rising of the lights” - any ideas?

There's a bbc witness 10 min recording of someone talking about being in a tb sanatorium as a child, it's really stayed with me

www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3cszmrt

David Baddiel did a whole part of his comedy routine in the late 90s based on something similar.

Jacob Rees-Mogg was just starting school then!

My mother talked about seeing kids with obvious rickets when she was a child. When I was a child there were adults wearing built-up boots as a result of polio.
None of this is that long ago.
There are still a small number of people living in iron lungs at home.

I was a teenager in the mid-90s, my science teacher (in his 40s/50s) wore a leg brace due to polio as a child.

Ian Dury a punk singer wore a brace because of polio.

Fascinating! Any idea what 'Rising of the lights ' is?! 🙄

Yes. We all already know.

Southern Ireland? Gah. Please don’t say that. It’s the republic.

Another one that stayed with me was in a book I read set in the Middle Age(I can't remember what it was) but a minor character was pregnant and it was obvious to the local midwife that the baby was in a really bad position so the poor woman went into labour knowing she probably wouldn't survive a difficult birth . I know this was fiction but this was the reality for women

I read somewhere unfortunately I can't remember where, that bloody flux is the particular type of diarhea that happens in the late stage of starvation.

Year of Wonders is excellent, it's set during the plague.

If you want to right back, there was a “You’re Dead To Me” podcast episode on Ancient Greek and Roman medicine.

www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p095vj2q?partner=uk.co.bbc&origin=share-mobile

My great uncle died of TB in the thirties. He was sent home from the sanatorium to die, but the only place they could make a bed up for him was in the small chicken shed.

The Plague and I by Betty MacDonald is an account of her time in a tb hospital in the US pre war. Very funny read, though obviously things have changed since the treatments offered are very different now.

No need to be faux offended, fully know the difference thanks. I mean south as in not west where Limerick is - you know where Frank McCourt lived and based Angela’s Ashes on - the thing being discussed. Or you need me to explain compass points in case you get offended by anyone saying ‘north’ 😳

Oh viques yes, 'The Plague and I' - what a great book. But also, what a terrible and frightening experience it was - Betty MacDonald doesn’t shy away from that, and the terrible feeling of gloom in the sanatorium when somebody died.

Without drugs to treat TB, the 'cure' was basically to put a person on virtually total bed rest so the affected part of the lung would heal, and wall up the tubercular patch. Moving about could tear the tiny healing fibres, so they were kept as immobile as possible. Fresh air and cold was deemed essential so windows were flung open or patients were wheeled outside, and they were always freezing. The fact that she made it so funny is testament to her skill as a writer. She was lucky to have a wonderful room-mate, the hilarious Kimi. Definitely worth reading.

So sad that she still died at only 50 (not of TB, however).

Very interesting thread. Thanks for starting it, OP.

Sure you did.

@batchainpuller

Yes I sure did. 🤔

You don’t know anything about me and my family. But hey, this is MN where bullies hound people for misinterpreting what someone has posted and think they’re being clever. Well done you 👏

I’m off as a load of the usual crowd have joined what was a nice thread.

To be fair, I read it as meaning "the South of Ireland'' in a geographical way just as you could say "the South of France". It was just a location descriptor, the Southern area of that particular country.

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/nov/25/surrey-school-pupil-dies-of-bacterial-infection-with-another-in-hospital-report

Who would imagine that such a tragedy could happen in the 21st Century.

I saw that earlier. Such a tragedy.

How sad 😔

Scarlet fever is doing the rounds at our school.

I just remembered, my mum had Scarlet Fever when she was about 1 year old (mid 1950s), she was later found to have severe hearing problems and they’re pretty sure it was as a result of the infection, though they couldn’t prove it.

Funny, I noticed you being unnecessarily arsey to the op on another thread, so maybe look in the mirror 🍪