Did you Know?

Did you Know?

Did you know that a significant number of burials in the Andes Rural Cemetery on High Street were infants and children?

A significant number of early burials in the Andes Rural Cemetery were children — consistent with the era’s epidemics, i.e.: scarlet fever, diphtheria, and “summer complaint”, which was a cluster of gastrointestinal illnesses that doctors of the time couldn’t yet distinguish.

Why was the “summer complaint” often fatal?

Before 1900, doctors did not understand germ theory, the importance of clean water, the need for electrolyte replacement, and the dangers of dehydration. A child could go from healthy to critically ill in hours.

Why did the “summer complaint” happen in summer?

Before refrigeration, sanitation, and modern water systems, summer created the perfect conditions for illness, i.e.: milk spoiled quickly in the heat, contaminated water was common, flies spread bacteria to food and milk, weaning foods (like porridges or cow’s milk) were easily contaminated, and infants dehydrated rapidly, often fatally.