Tuesday, January 21, 2025

Ask AI: "1890's Health Risks and Injuries, and Medical Care In a Small Town?"

 The Artificial Intelligence tools (like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, Meta, CoPilot, GenSpark and Perplexity) can provide much useful and nearly instant information about subjects in a concise format, especially when they have been pre-trained on a large volume of information about the subjects.

1)  I wondered if the FREE AI tools could provide me with information about health and medical care issues  in the 1890s in a small New England town like Leominster, Massachusetts.

(image created by ChatGPT4 AI)

Here is my prompt:   In the 1890s in a small New England town, what were the potential health risks and injuries, and how was medical care obtained and practiced?

2)  The ChatGPT4 response was the most detailed:

In the 1890s, living in a small New England town came with numerous health risks and potential injuries, compounded by limited access to medical care and the relatively rudimentary state of medical science at the time. Here's an overview of the key health risks and how medical care was obtained and practiced:

Common Health Risks

  1. Infectious Diseases:

    • Typhoid Fever: Caused by contaminated water or food, typhoid was a significant risk due to poor sanitation and the lack of widespread water treatment.

    • Tuberculosis (TB): Known as "consumption," TB was highly contagious and deadly, spreading easily in crowded homes or poorly ventilated spaces.

    • Scarlet Fever and Diphtheria: Both were common among children, often resulting in severe complications or death before the advent of effective treatments like antibiotics.

    • Influenza and Pneumonia: Seasonal outbreaks of influenza often led to complications like pneumonia, especially in the elderly or those with pre-existing conditions.

    • Smallpox: Although vaccines were available, not everyone was vaccinated, leading to sporadic outbreaks.

    • Measles and Whooping Cough: These diseases were common childhood ailments that could result in death, especially in rural areas without prompt medical attention.

  2. Injuries:

    • Farm Accidents: Small-town residents, many of whom were farmers, faced risks from handling livestock, using sharp tools, and operating machinery like threshers or plows.

    • Burns: Cooking over open flames or wood-burning stoves often resulted in burns, especially for women managing household fires.

    • Falls: Falls from ladders, rooftops, or uneven terrain were common and could cause fractures or head injuries.

    • Cuts and Infections: Minor cuts and wounds could easily become infected without proper sterilization, potentially leading to sepsis.

  3. Childbirth Risks:

    • Complications during childbirth, such as hemorrhage or infection (puerperal fever), were significant risks for women due to the lack of sterile techniques and trained professionals in rural areas.

  4. Chronic Conditions and Malnutrition:

    • Rickets: Caused by vitamin D deficiency, it was common in children who lacked exposure to sunlight or proper nutrition.

    • Goiter: Iodine deficiency led to thyroid enlargement, especially in areas where iodine-rich foods like seafood were scarce.

    • Dental Issues: Without fluoride or modern dentistry, tooth decay, abscesses, and tooth loss were widespread.

  5. Mental Health Issues:

    • Depression and anxiety often went undiagnosed and untreated, particularly among women dealing with isolation or the heavy burdens of domestic labor.


Medical Care in Small Towns

  1. Home Remedies and Folk Medicine:

    • Most families relied on home remedies passed down through generations, using herbs, poultices, and tonics to treat common ailments.

    • For example, willow bark tea was used for pain relief (a precursor to aspirin), and honey or onion syrup was a common remedy for coughs.

  2. Local Doctors:

    • Small towns typically had one or two general practitioners who made house calls. These doctors were often self-trained or attended medical schools with minimal formal education by today’s standards.

    • Doctors performed surgeries, delivered babies, and treated injuries using rudimentary tools and techniques, often without anesthesia beyond chloroform or ether.

  3. Midwives:

    • Midwives were essential for childbirth, especially in rural areas where doctors might be unavailable. They also provided postnatal care and advice on infant health.

  4. Pharmacies and Patent Medicines:

    • Apothecaries or general stores sold patent medicines, which were often unregulated and contained substances like alcohol, opium, or cocaine.

    • Common remedies included Lydia E. Pinkham’s Vegetable Compound (for "women’s ailments") and Dr. Kilmer's Swamp Root (a supposed cure for kidney issues).

  5. Hospitals:

    • Hospitals were rare in small towns, and those that existed were often underfunded and ill-equipped. People preferred home care unless absolutely necessary.

    • Traveling to a larger town or city for hospital care was difficult, as transportation was limited to horses or trains.

  6. Sanitation and Public Health Measures:

    • Sanitation in small towns was often poor, with outhouses and open wells contributing to the spread of disease.

    • By the late 19th century, public health campaigns began to promote sanitation, handwashing, and vaccination, but implementation was slow in rural areas.

  7. Surgical Practices:

    • Surgery was a last resort due to the high risk of infection, as antiseptic techniques (popularized by Joseph Lister) were still gaining acceptance.

    • Instruments were sterilized using boiling water or carbolic acid, but many surgeries were performed under non-sterile conditions, leading to post-operative infections.

  8. Nursing Care:

    • Nursing was often provided by family members or neighbors, particularly women, who managed care for the sick, including feeding, bathing, and wound care.

    • Visiting nurses or “district nurses” were rare but provided crucial assistance in some towns.


Advances in Medicine (Late 19th Century)

  • Vaccines: Vaccination against smallpox was available, though other vaccines (e.g., for diphtheria or tetanus) wouldn’t come until the 20th century.

  • Germ Theory: Awareness of germs as a cause of disease was spreading, leading to improved hygiene practices among progressive doctors.

  • Antiseptics and Anesthesia: Antiseptics like carbolic acid and early anesthesia (chloroform and ether) made medical care slightly safer.

  • Medical Education: The establishment of better medical schools, such as Harvard Medical School, helped improve the quality of new physicians.


Coping Strategies

  • Families coped with health challenges through a combination of self-reliance, community support, and spiritual faith.

  • Churches and community organizations often provided help to families in need, organizing visits, donations, or fundraisers for medical care.

Living in the 1890s required resilience, resourcefulness, and a strong reliance on local resources, as access to modern healthcare was limited and often far from the standards we recognize today.

3) I don't have the education or available information (in books, etc.) to be able to judge if this material is credible. The responses from the free AI tools seem credible and realistic. We always have to verify information.

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My blog posts, and those of other genealogists, using Artificial Intelligence tools are on my AI and Genealogy Compendium page.

Copyright (c) 2025, Randall J. Seaver


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1 comment:

Chad said...

It seems to me like the AI gave good general information about health and healthcare circa 1890 but it seems to lack the localization to Leominster that you requested. Based on a quick Google search, it seems that Leominster had a thriving manufacturing base circa 1890 and there would have been many workplace injuries from that. https://firstplastics.com/how-leominster-ma-became-the-plastic-manufacturing-capital-of-the-usa/