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Archiver > TMG > 2002-09 > 1030871029


From: "Stuart Armstrong" <>
Subject: Re: [TMG] 1880 Census Question
Date: Sun, 01 Sep 2002 03:03:49 -0600
References: <00d301c2510b$176ffae0$0100a8c0@mshome.net><5.1.0.14.0.20020831201704.00a16d70@pop.sprynet.com>
In-Reply-To: <5.1.0.14.0.20020831201704.00a16d70@pop.sprynet.com>


Darrell A. Martin wrote:

>I vote for "acne", but it might also be an even worse misspelling of
>"angina", as in "angina pectoralis".

No, it's almost certainly ague. Handwriting u's and n's are frequently indistinguishable. As others have pointed out, it means fever. It was a common ailment, sometimes accompanied by violent uncontrollable shaking, chills, and profuse sweating, recurring at regular intervals. It was _common_ among pioneers, particularly in swampy areas, and was sometimes called the shakes. Malarial strains vary in intensity, and in many instances can be tolerated for many years. Some of the pioneers actually associated it with the swamps, and realized the "bad air" of the marshes was unhealthy, long before the connection to mosquitoes was proven. It is actually possible to harbour several strains of Malaria in the body simultaneously. The resulting frequent flare-ups could certainly be considered a handicap.

Stuart Armstrong
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web page: http://cgi.aros.net/~stuarta

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