Across the world people have been struggling with the Covid-19 virus, living and dying with it. The age of Covid-19 has raised the question of how Putney has fared during similar crises in the past. Colonial America was rife with disease that carried off many. Although Europeans were often immune from serious symptoms of diseases that Native Americans had little resistance to, all populations suffered from the periodic or chronic outbreaks.
DYSENTERY
The earliest report of disease in Putney comes from Rev. Andrews who in 1825 delivered an historical sermon on Putney. He mentions a wave of dysentery that hit Putney in 1775 during which “a number of children and some of mature years” (adults) died. Zadock Thompson states that dysentery was “universally prevalent” throughout Vermont during 1776-1777 (Thompson 1842:220).
THE SPOTTED FEVER
“The fever, which manifested itself in 1806, sporadically ravaged many New England communities as well as states such as New York and Pennsylvania. It tended to strike during the winter months, and then disappeared during the summer, only to return again the following winter.
The first sign of this fever was usually coldness, pains in the limbs, head, and back, and a loss of strength. In some cases, these symptoms were followed by bouts of fever and chills, and delirium. In severe cases, the person became comatose following the initial attack and died within several hours. The disease got its name, spotted fever, because small, dark purplish spots or blotches appeared on the skin of some of the afflicted. Starting around 1812, the disease appeared to evolve. In many cases, the fever was accompanied by inflammation of the throat and/or lungs…Although there is no conclusive identification of this disease, some have inferred from the descriptions of its symptoms that it was what is now called cerebro-spinal-meningitis. (https://www.woodstockhistorycenter.org/the-acorn/2019/2/1/in-focus-spotted-fever-epidemic)
The 1953 Putney history and the 1891 Hemenway gazetteer provide some background on the Spotted Fever outbreak of 1813. According to the Woodstock Historical Society, “Since medicine was not standardized, and many medical practitioners with different backgrounds and levels of medical training were providing treatments, there was a great deal of diversity in the remedies. For instance, in the papers of a Capt. Charles Church of Westminster, Vermont was found the following treatment that was purported to be efficacious in curing spotted fever:
“To one quart of lime, add one gallon of water. To one quart of tar, add two quarts of water. Let these stand in separate vessels until they froth, skim the froth, pour them together. To this mixture add eight ounces of saltpeter, four ounces of opium. Take a glass when going to bed and repeat the same in four or five hours.” (https://www.woodstockhistorycenter.org/the-acorn/2019/2/1/in-focus-spotted-fever-epidemic)
“In 1813, the spotted fever prevailed to an alarming extent Rev. Andrews left a record descriptive of the epidemic, as follows:
“The fall of the year, 1812, was steadily, but not severely cold. On the last of November there fell about 4 inches of snow, which a few hours of sun would have carried off. But the cold was so uniform, that the snow lay without increasing or diminishing till the first of January. There then came considerable snows; but the cold was for the most part not severe, but very uniform. The weather was dry and clear, such as has generally been deemed most conducive to health. The fever began to rage the first week in January and continued with violence till the last of March, and did not wholly subside till May. There were between 200 and 300 cases of the epidemic, called the spotted fever. It was generally a very malignant typhus. From the 9th of January to the 13th of April, there were 38 deaths. When the thaws and rains commenced in March, the sickness abated; and the return of cold days never failed of producing new cases of the fever. So general and distressing a disease had never been known in this section of country.” (Mansfield 1891 in Hemenway)
HEALTH OF PUTNEY
The 1953 town history provides some commentary on the general health of Putney residents:
“Also there must have been some guilt felt by early Putney citizens as to their morals, for when a great plague of “spotted fever” occurred in 1813 causing 38 deaths from Jan. 9 to Apr. 13, with 200 to 300 cases of the disease in town, many felt that it was a sign of God’s displeasure.
Generally proud of its healthy atmosphere as a desirable town in which to live, many citizens lived to a ripe old age, and there are records available attesting to the longevity of a great number of Putney’s early people. The “spotted fever” epidemic and an epidemic of “dysentery” which spread over the town in 1775, appear to be the only major health problems in the first 75 or more years. At one time there was a “pest house” in town where persons with contagious diseases were placed while ill.
On Sept. 16, 1801, the inhabitants of the town met at the old meeting house “to see if the Town will give Liberty to set up and have a pest house for a horspittle for the purpose of Innockelating for the small pox that those who wish to have the privilege of having it in said Town and to pay the innockelators under such Rules and Restrictions as the Town Shall think propper.’ This they voted to do. (Pg. 37 and 38 of Vol. II, Town Records 1796 – 1833).” (De Wolfe et al. 1953:23-24)
1918 FLU
The 1918 flu pandemic caused the death of approximately 50 million people with over 500 million infected worldwide. “Statistics reported by the Board of Health for 1918 show the devastation. In a state with a population of 355,956 in the 1910 census, there were 43,735 cases of influenza in 1918, resulting in 1,772 deaths. The disease … attacked 13 percent of the population and accounted for 25 percent of deaths for the year. These were approximate figures only, and do not include cases and deaths from pneumonia.” (https://vermonthistory.org/flu-epidemic-1918) Although it hit Vermont hard, examination of Putney death records during the 1918 flu pandemic identified only four cases of death recorded as related to influenza in Putney. In some cases the influenza was combined with pneumonia as cause of death, a frequent complication of the flu. Long-time Putney doctor, Dr. Bugbee signed all the certificates. Given the lack of antibiotics and prevalence of patent medicines, it is surprising that Putney did not experience greater loss.
COVID-19
This latest pandemic continues to ravage the world with infections and deaths spreading quickly in many places around the globe. Vermont has been relatively lucky and has handled the situation well with fewer cases and fatalities than most states. As of May 5 there have been 1323 cases in Windham County with 14 deaths from the virus (New York Times). As of April 28 there have been 81 cases in Putney (VT Department of Health).