Infectious diseases had to be notified to the Board of Health and the Shire Council Medical Officers included a list of the diseases in their Annual Report. In 1912, Dr Harkness submitted his annual report to the Shire of Cranbourne for 1911 and it included - six cases of diphtheria in Cranbourne, one at Clyde, two at Lang Lang, all of which recovered. There was one case of typhoid fever at Kooweerup, which unfortunately ended fatally. One case of typhoid fever at Heath Hill, recovering in this instance. Measles was epidemic at Tooradin, Yannathan and Lang Lang (1). Thirty seven years later in the 1948 annual report, the Shire of Berwick medical officer, Dr Farrell, reported there had been seven cases of scarlet fever, one each of polio, malaria, puerperal fever and tuberculosis and none of diphtheria (2).
If a person was sent to hospital with an infectious disease then it was reported to the local council and thus became part of the Medical Officer's report at Council meetings. As there were no privacy considerations in those days, the names of the patients were also published in the newspapers. Thus we learn that in April 1910 Mr. T. Roper from Cora Lynn had typhoid; in 1915, Antonio, Catherine and Annie Garbellini, of Five Mile Drain had diphtheria, as did Elizabeth and Doris Gill of Koo Wee Rup; in the same year Raymond Jeffers from Cora Lynn had meningitis. In 1917 four members of the McKay family of Yannathan had diphtheria and Harry Evans from Cora Lynn had pulmonary tuberculosis. (3)
Diphtheria at Koo Wee Rup
South Bourke and Mornington Journal, June 8 1898 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article70020369
Koo Wee Rup had seen a diphtheria epidemic in June 1898, in fact a newspaper had the headline A grave state of affairs (4). Dr Bennie from Berwick investigated this and the cause of the outbreak was blamed on night soil (sewerage) contaminating the drains which were used for drinking water (5). He also said the settlers were too poor to obtain proper food and clothing, and have had a very bad season, so that with poor food, poor clothing and tainted water, it is astonishing that the outbreak has not been more extensive (6).
The report of Dr Harkness to the Shire of Cranbourne in 1912 said that the schools at Tooradin, Yannathan and Lang Lang were closed for the measles outbreak and the school at Clyde for the diphtheria outbreak. There was also a diphtheria outbreak at Koo Wee Rup North State School in 1925 and the school building was condemned and classes were held in the hall. (7)
Children were also kept home from school due to chicken pox outbreaks. In October 1930, the Dandenong Journal reported that in Cranbourne An epidemic of chicken pox is raging in the town, and over 20 children are away from the school - enjoying themselves, playing in the street. (8)
The Argus in January 1919, reported on the impact in the local area - Several place have been quarantined during the last couple of days, including the Tooradin Hotel, Tooradin, and various residences. A youth of 19 from Cranbourne died in Dandenong from pneumonic influenza. There were several cases at Tooradin, Clyde, and Koo-wee-rup but these are reported to be progressing favourably. The Cranbourne Shire Council on Saturday decided to prohibit all meetings throughout the shire until further notice, and refused to name holidays for races and the show. Where there are assemblages of 20, masks must be worn. The shire president (Councillor P.M. McGregor) is arranging for free public inoculations next week. Arrangements are also being made in the event of a more serious outbreak for a field hospital at Cranbourne. (10)
The Field Hospital was established in July and Sister Norah Lehman, who had recently returned to Australia after serving in the Australian Army Nursing Service was placed in charge. The South Bourke and Mornington Journal reported -
A wave of influenza has claimed many residents as victims, which has necessitated the shire council taking over the vicarage (by kind permission of the Church authorities) as an emergency hospital. Sister N. Lehman has been appointed in charge, and is being ably assisted by Nurses Rechie and King. The hospital at present is full and all patients are progressing nicely. (11)
A year later in June 1920, the Cranbourne Shire Health Inspector reported on the local response to the Influenza epidemic and noted that -
at Cranbourne, an emergency hospital in the capable hands of Sister Lehman, lately returned from the war, was opened and was the means of saving more than one life (12).
1937-1938 was an especially bad time for polio (or infantile paralysis) in Australia and the majority of the cases were children. Once again, the Dandenong Journal reported on parents whose children were home from school, but not isolated -
A feature of the later stages of the epidemic of infantile paralysis has been the co-operation given by parents to the expert Consultive Council in its effort to restrict opportunities for the spread of the disease. When the schools were first closed, complaints were made that parents were permitting their children to go into crowds, thus negativing the purpose of closing the schools. Since then, however, most parents have been careful to keep their children at home - in the danger area at any rate. There have been some individual cases of parents becoming panicky, but in the great majority of instances this is not so. Even in Parliament care has been taken not to encourage panic. (13) Many events were cancelled at this time due to the polio outbreak including a Back to Bunyip celebration planned for December 1937 (14)
In the summer of 1949/1950 my Dad, Frank Rouse, and other members of the Cora Lynn Scout Group had a camp on Fraser Island in Queensland. One of the boys at the camp developed polio and the whole camp had to be quarantined for a week; because Dad was only young, he thought it was great - an extra week’s holiday, however polio was a serious disease with lifetime consequences.
One of the causes of infectious diseases was insanitary drains. In March 1914 there was a series of reports in the papers regarding the drains at Bunyip. Apparently, the drains were not cleaned during the summer months and thus they became a catchment for refuse water and odorous filth (15) and this caused disease. The Berwick Shire disputed the state of the drains and said there had been no infectious disease in the town and that statements that disease had entered every house in the town were untrue. The newspaper reports of the state of the health of the town of Bunyip led to a drop in tourism numbers - The Easter holidays passed off very quietly in Bunyip, not half the number of visitors of previous years coming to the town or district. The reason for this is hard to understand, unless it be that many people stayed away because of the absurdly false reports spread by one or two "ratty" individuals that infectious diseases were rampant in Bunyip (16).
One of the causes of infectious diseases was insanitary drains. In March 1914 there was a series of reports in the papers regarding the drains at Bunyip. Apparently, the drains were not cleaned during the summer months and thus they became a catchment for refuse water and odorous filth (15) and this caused disease. The Berwick Shire disputed the state of the drains and said there had been no infectious disease in the town and that statements that disease had entered every house in the town were untrue. The newspaper reports of the state of the health of the town of Bunyip led to a drop in tourism numbers - The Easter holidays passed off very quietly in Bunyip, not half the number of visitors of previous years coming to the town or district. The reason for this is hard to understand, unless it be that many people stayed away because of the absurdly false reports spread by one or two "ratty" individuals that infectious diseases were rampant in Bunyip (16).
One way to prevent the spread of disease was the suggestion in 1913 that all trains should have an ‘ambulance’ carriage attached. Before cars people would travel to hospital on the train and thus isolating the sick in the ‘ambulance’ car would help alleviate this. The Shire of Berwick’s Health Officer, Dr Oliver stated that -
an ambulance car should be attached to trains on all lines for the transport of cases of infectious disease, as diphtheria and other infectious diseases, as a rule, occur in the homes of the poor and needy. In 90 per cent, of cases the infection, Dr. Oliver asserts, is contracted in the germ-laden railway compartments. Dr. Oliver suggests that a tent compartment for the isolation of infectious cases should be attached to each train. (17)
During the Spanish influenza pandemic, excursion trains to country races and other events were cancelled and in February 1919, The Herald reported that - To minimise the risk of infection from influenza germs, passengers are being requested by the railway Commissioners to keep open all windows in the trains. (18)
Scarlet fever was one disease for which there were local reports for decades. One episode of scarlet fever was apparently transmitted by post, as reported in The Age in 1909 - In one instance the malady was traced from an infected house in Melbourne to a house in South Gembrook, and it was transmitted by a letter through the post from one person to the other. (19)
Typhoid was also prevalent and in 1910 an outbreak was reported due to -
Typhoid was also prevalent and in 1910 an outbreak was reported due to -
The insanitary state in which the men employed on the railway regrading works between Tynong and Garfield left the paddocks on which they camped has caused an outbreak of typhoid fever. Dr. Keogh district health officer has forwarded a report to the Board of Health on the matter. He states that the only means to cope with the outbreak is for the ti-tree scrub in the paddock close to where the men camped to be burnt, and the land fumigated with kerosene and disinfectants. He has urged that this be done promptly, as the rain has caused the filth to wash on the roads where the children pass daily
to school. (20)
There were some interesting cures written up in the newspapers in the 1880s and 1890s including drinking absinthe to cure cholera (21). Absinthe had a very high alcohol content, so maybe if you drank enough the pain of the symptoms such as headaches, nausea, abdominal cramps just went away. Another interesting cure was tobacco smoke which could be used as a disinfectant to kill the cholera germ (22). Of course, we do not recommend taking up the consumption of absinthe or tobacco to protect yourself from cholera or any other infectious disease.
Trove list - I have created a list of newspapers articles on Trove, connected to and used in this article, access it here.
Sources:
(1) South Bourke and Mornington Journal March 7, 1912, see here.
(2) Dandenong Journal March 30, 1949, see here.
(3) South Bourke and Mornington Journal July 27, 1910, see here; Lang Lang Guardian, June 9, 1915, see here; Lang Lang Guardian, October 6, 1915, see here; Lang Lang Guardian, August 11, 1915, see here; The Argus, October 12, 1915, see here; Lang Lang Guardian, October 24, 1917, see here; South Bourke and Mornington Journal, March 15, 1917, see here.
(4) South Bourke and Mornington Journal, June 8, 1898, see here.
(5) The Argus June 14, 1898, see here.
(6) South Bourke and Mornington Journal, June 8, 1898, see here.
(7) South Bourke & Mornington Journal, March 7, 1912, see here; The Argus August 10, 1925, see here.
(8) Dandenong Journal, October 2, 1930, see here.
(10) The Argus, February 4, 1919, see here.
(11) South Bourke & Mornington Journal, July 31, 1919, see here.
(12) South Bourke & Mornington Journal, June 10, 1920, see here.
(13) Dandenong Journal August 19, 1937, see here.
(15) The Age April 9, 1914, see here.
(16) Bunyip Free Press April 16, 1914 see here.
(17) The Age, October 22, 1913, see here.
(18) The Herald, February 4, 1919, see here.
(19) The Age, September 7, 1909, see here.
(20) The Age, May 17, 1910, see here.
(21) South Bourke and Mornington Journal, November 4, 1885, see here.
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