Novels & Knitwear
We’re doing something a little different this time around on WTKM. I’d be willing to bet that most of you have never heard the word nystagmus before, so let me break things down a little. Nystagmus is an involuntary, rapid eye movement. It can be caused by several things, including drug overdoses and head injuries,… Continue reading Would this Kill Me in the 1800s: Nystagmus
Yellow fever is one of those “old timey” diseases I’ve been aware of since I was a kid–not just because I read a lot of historical fiction as a kid, but also because I grew up in mosquito country. But knowing it exists isn’t the same as knowing what it does. So what is yellow… Continue reading Would This Kill Me in the 1800s: Yellow Fever
My first introduction to leprosy was through a Miyazaki film, Princess Mononoke, which I got on VHS in middle school and wore out through successive watchings. In the film, a town on the edge of the forest is a sanctuary for those otherwise ostracized by society. Among them, a group of lepers are employed to… Continue reading Would this Kill me in the 1800s: Leprosy
I don’t know about the rest of you, but strep throat was the bane of my existence in middle school. I think I caught it 4 times in sixth grade, and there was talk of having my tonsils removed. But what is strep? What causes it and how dangerous is it if untreated? The Disease… Continue reading Would this Kill Me in the 1800s: Strep Throat
Asthma is a common enough problem in the US. It affects roughly 7-8% of people worldwide, though in the developed world at least, it doesn’t trigger much concern. Many children are diagnosed with it and then outgrow their symptoms. But statistics show that asthma cases have been steadily rising since the 1960s, likely due to… Continue reading Would this Kill me in the 1800s: Asthma
I am not the only one who has been drawing parallels between Covid-19 and our current crisis and the 1918 influenza pandemic. So, for those curious, I thought I would talk about some of the similarities and differences, as well as how the flu was treated prior to 1918. If, like so many, discussions of… Continue reading Would this Kill me in the 1800s: Influenza
Feeling tired? Run down? Memory problems? Muscle aches and weakness? You might have anemia and not know it. There a many different forms of anemia, so I won’t be able to delve into all of them here, but basically anemia is a shortage of red blood cells. This can have many causes from outside factors… Continue reading Would this Kill Me in the 1800s: Anemia
You may remember an embarrassingly long time ago, I took a poll on Twitter to see what you guys wanted to be the subject of my next WtKM1800s post to be. The winner was Rh factor. I’m sorry it’s taken so long for me to get to this point, but here we are at last.… Continue reading Would this Kill Me in the 1800s: Rh Factor
You voted, and I’m here to answer the question: Would appendicitis kill me in the 1800s? Why do we even have an appendix? Honestly? Your guess is as good as mine. Doctors and anatomical experts are divided on the subject. The appendix is a little flesh tube that dangles from the point between your large… Continue reading Would This Kill Me in the 1800s: Appendicitis
CW: This post discusses historical and contemporary medical treatments for autism and mental illness patients that range from unpleasant to downright abusive and may be triggering for some readers. I confess, out of all the WtKM posts thus far, this one has benefited from the most research. It’s also been the hardest to write. I… Continue reading Would this Kill Me in the 1800s: Autism
