Diphtheria Outbreak, 1879

BRUENING, BLAIR, KOEPKE, HARDIN, SCHMALFELDT, GOUNDRY

Posted By: David Reineke (email)
Date: 4/3/2005 at 11:36:54

I translated the following article from Der Carroll Demokrat, a German-language newspaper published in Carroll, Iowa, between about 1874 and 1920. It was originally published on 18 April 1879. Any information in brackets or notes at the end is my own explanation. It reads as follows:

For some time, the terrible illness diphtheria has been raging in Arcadia, West Side, and in the area around both places. As reported, during the last 14 days no fewer than 12 cases of death have occurred in the area due to diphtheria. A child of Mr. Blair died eight days ago on Sunday. Shortly thereafter, Mr. B. Brüning [Bruening] lost one child and a few days later lost a second. The families of Mr. Hardin and Mr. Koepke were afflicted, with the former losing an 8-year-old son, and the latter losing a daughter of the same age. Mr. A. Schmalfeldt lost a daughter. Also, two boys died in the Goundry family, ages 13 and 3. In many other families, children are lying stricken with diphtheria, and it is feared that the sickness will spread. Since the population of Carroll is taking special care to prevent the disease, it is not allowed to travel to neighboring areas. While the true causes of diphtheria are not understood, it is nonetheless well known that a dirty and fetid condition of streets, alleys, etc., contributes much to the spread and severity of this type of illness. It is therefore strongly advised to make the cleaning of streets, alleys, stables, etc. one of the first health regulations to be enforced.