Some rural diseases were very serious

A chronic and serious health problem was tuberculosis, usually called TB. It
killed more people in the South than any other infectious disease. More women than men
were infected. It was more common from the middle teenage years through the midforties. It didnt respond to home remedies and could spread from one family member to
another. At the time, antibiotics hadnt yet been discovered.
Hit looks like Lige ez gonna half t go way fer a while, Milas commented to his
wife. He wuz doin tolerable well fer a spell, but he tuk a turn fer th worse here of late.
Lige was a neighbor who lived about a mile away. For months, the man
experienced nausea, weakness, fever, night sweats, chest pain, and weight loss. Most
ominous was his coughing up blood. A doctor in Albertville had diagnosed the dreaded
consumption. In view of his serious condition and the fact that the disease was highly
contagious, authorities were required to send him to the state TB sanitarium near
Gadsden. It was established in 1918 as a Tuberculosis "fresh air camp" on top of
Lookout Mountain. It consisted of six canvas and lumber tent structures. In 1926 the
camp was destroyed by fire and a more permanent facility was constructed. Originally
named Madru Inzer Memorial Hospital it became one of the most successful hospitals in
the south for treating tuberculosis.
The institution could provide no specific medication. Streptomycin was decades
in the future. What it did offer was rest, a nutritious diet richly supplying vitamins and
minerals, and plenty of fresh air and sunlight. The fresh air on the mountain location was
believed to help cure TB. If all else failed, surgery could be used to collapse the diseased
lung for treatment or even to remove a portion. The man might rejoin his family within a
couple of years. Confinement was mandatory.
Whuts his wif n chillen goin t do, Belle wondered aloud. Lige was a farmer
with four youngsters.
Ill send th boys down t help n Im shore othersll do th same, he assured his
wife. As he predicted, the community closed ranks and assisted the needy family until
the return of its head.
Except in the case of smallpox, vaccinations werent available. The usual
childhood diseases ran their course. The victims suffered to varying degrees, but most
survived unimpaired. Almost every child had measles, mumps, whooping cough, and
chickenpox. Fortunately, survival of the diseases conferred lifelong immunity.
Two of the Camp children became sick. It started with fever, sore throat, swollen
glands, and red tonsils with pus on them. Within a day, a red, rough rash that looked like
sunburn spread all over their bodies. Scarlet fever called for drastic measures.

Scarlet fever was once a serious threat

The public health officer walked warily toward the house, paused a moment in the yard,
then mounted the porch with firm steps. He didnt knock or call out. His visit, at some
homes, provoked angry words or threats. In his hand was a large sign that he nailed to
the wall. At the top in large letters were the words Scarlet Fever. Below the heading it
read, These Premises are Under Quarantine. The notice ordered that no person could
enter or leave the dwelling. The placard couldnt be removed. Penalties for
noncompliance were severe: up to a hundred dollars fine or as much as thirty days
imprisonment were possible.

All in the community obeyed. In time, both children felt better. The outer layer
of skin peeled from their bodies first and then their hands and feet. The emergency was
over. Life could resume as normal.