| Along with the physical challenge of starting a new village
also came other influencing factors such as poor diet and mosquitoes. A
meal of potatoes and bread was common. Meat was a scarce commodity (Van Der Werker 5-15)
Not only did the pioneers have to deal with cold, wet weather, times were harsh
and food was scarce. Another threat to their health was the presence of
mosquitoes, which were later discovered to be carriers of malaria. There
was a documented disease nicknamed the "fever'n ager" which seemed to infect
all of the older citizens of this area.
The first sign of this disease was the changing of the fingernails to a
bluish color. The victims suffered from a fluxuation from burning heat
to intense cold. A cure for this disease is described by author H.B. Hutchins:
"One remedy, which was said to be a sure cure and which was tried by many,
consisted in paring the finger and toe nails, wrapping them in tissue paper,
and burying them in a hole in a maple tree" (Van Der Werker 15)
Whether this was actually a valid cure was never documented.
Medical care in this time period was scarce. In the early 1800s, Ann Arbor
had one doctor who rode to cabins by horseback. The first doctor in Ann
Arbor was named Dr. David E. Lord, who arrived in the summer of 1824. He
was the only local doctor available, but this did not seem to be a problem
for the early settlers; many of the women were trained as mid-wives, and
therefore had some knowledge of basic medicine (Van Der Werker 23). |