Medicine and Diseases in the Colonial Era

by Amanda Peterson

Luckily, medicine has come a long way. Surely, had colonial treatments survived to modern times, so many more lives would be lost, as they were, mostly, very basic and even harmful. In this essay, I’ll briefly cover some of the epidemics of the time, and even explain the connection between barbers and surgeons.

The first few years of settlement in the English colonies were harsh. During that period, more than 80% of Virginia’s population died. During the first winter, almost half of Massachusetts was wiped out. This is not only due to the lack of well-built houses, but also because public health was, virtually, unheard of. Trash was not collected, as it is now, and became a breeding ground for disease.

Most illnesses were treated at home, either by family or with the help of neighbors. Hospitals were nonexistent, as were care homes and other clinics. Doctors, if there were even any in the town, were not professionally trained. Diagnosis was made up mostly of guesswork.

Despite being known best for cutting hair, barbers did more than that. They were allowed, essentially, to go as far as pulling teeth and removing gallstones. Without anesthesia, of course. According to mnwelldir.org, Minnesota’s International Wellness Directory, both barbers and surgeons had the infamous red and white poles outside their places of business. Speaking of doing someone else’s job, apothecaries, which were similar to present day drugstores, also performed dentistry.

Surgery was not very popular, at least until about 1685. In fact, the Catholic Church even forbade the practice. However, in 1810 John Adams’ daughter, Abigail, was diagnosed with breast cancer. The only cure at the time was going through surgery – more specifically, a mastectomy. After surviving this, however, she suffered greatly from the lack of anesthesia. The cancer continued to spread, and she died in 1813.

One major cure to illness was bloodletting, or bleeding. A knife or, on occasion, leeches, were used to drain the “bad blood” from the patient. However, this often hurt the person more and led to their untimely death. A physician or a barber could perform this procedure. George Washington reportedly bled to death during this process.

Midwives became popular around this time, due to lack of functioning public (or private) hospitals. However, this came with a downside – women who performed in-home births were at constant risk of being accused of witchcraft, due to their extensive knowledge of herbal remedies. Arsenic-rich tonics and snakeroot, both of which are potentially harmful to human health, were two popular cures to any number of diseases.

Though malaria, hookworms, beriberi, thyphoid, and dysentery were the norm, there were also wide-spread epidemics that wiped out many people. Yellow fever, for one, appeared first in Philadelphia in 1668. This sickness is transmitted by mosquitos. Smallpox, on the other hand, is spread by physical contact. Prevention was attempted by isolation and inoculation. About a month after this outbreak reached Boston, physician Zabdiel Boylston introduced the vaccination, which was successful on his young son and two of his slaves.

As you can see, medicine has come very, very far as America has progressed. Bloodletting, supposed witchcraft, America’s first inoculation, and surgeries lacking anesthesia – this is our past and, luckily, not our future. By continuing to do research, the scientific community will one day discover new procedures and cures that make modern day medicine look prehistoric.