Research suggests disease may have been more widespread in New England than previously thought
A photograph likely from the 1860s showing the Dartmouth College Congressionalist Church and vestry
(left) and the adjacent Ripley/Choate House. (Photo courtesy of the Rauner Special Collections Library at Dartmouth)
May 3, 2021 SHARE
Parasitic infections, including tapeworm and whipworm, were a common problem in the United States until the 20th century. It is commonly believed that these infections mainly impacted lower-income, urban areas where conditions including shared public spaces, lack of sewage systems and poor sanitation were prime for disease spread.
However, new research conducted by researchers at Washington University in St. Louis and Dartmouth College and published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports suggests that parasitic disease was likely widespread in New England, even in remote rural areas and in wealthy households.
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IMAGE: Hazard & Caswell bottles from an apothecary in Newport, R.I., that contained a medicinal concoction marketed as a cure for digestive and other ailments. view more
Credit: Photo by Austin Chad Hill.
In the early 19th century in North America, parasitic infections were quite common in urban areas due in part to population growth and urbanization. Prior research has found that poor sanitation, unsanitary privy (outhouse) conditions, and increased contact with domestic animals, contributed to the prevalence of parasitic disease in urban areas. A new study examining fecal samples from a privy on Dartmouth s campus illustrates how rural wealthy elites in New England also had intestinal parasitic infections. The findings are published in the
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