Customer Reviews

Bleed, Blister, And Purge: A History Of Medicine On The American Frontier

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In the first part of this book, Steele covers a wide range of topics, from native medicine to Lewis & Clark to folk medicine, quackery, and the pioneering physicians who first came to the West. A section on women physicians is both inspiring and troubling: one admires the women who defied convention to become doctors, but shudders at the stories of women's health in the era and how poorly understood were needs such as prenatal care and birth control.

In the second section, Steele talks about public health, including early hospitals, sanitation, and epidemic disease. Again, with a good eye for telling details, stories, and photographs, Steele reveals an unfamiliar story with what he calls a "mixture of awe and distress."

I've always been interested in epidemics, and found particular fascination in the discussion of the frightening diseases that stalked the frontier, especially the resistance of civic leaders and ordinary citizens to take the appropriate measures to stop them. Many families lost children to cholera, diphtheria, and other so-called "childhood diseases" before understanding and civic will brought about changes in sanitation. Cattle ranchers initially fought the tick-control efforts to curb Rocky Mountain spotted fever and the veterinary procedures to eradicate typhoid and bovine tuberculosis. Even during the flu pandemic of 1918, which killed an astonishing 675,000 Americans, people resisted all efforts to curb public gatherings to try to stop the spread of the disease.

But it was the story of polio that most surprised me. Beginning in 1916, a series of polio epidemics terrified the nation almost every summer. Polio was worse in rural areas such as Montana and other western states, where children had not built up the viral resistance that saved many children in more densely populated areas.

Steele notes that the fear of polio took on a life of its own, out of all proportion to the actual risk of the disease. Out of millions infected with polio, only one percent became paralyzed; half of these children later regained normal function. The rest recovered with no lasting harm. From the 1920s to the 1940s, children were five to ten times more likely to catch diphtheria, tuberculosis, scarlet fever, or strep throat than polio, any one of which had a higher death rate.

But the fear of paralysis, however unlikely, made polio the most haunting and feared of all infectious diseases. The reason isn't hard to understand. In those years, disabled children were barred from attending school. In some places they were not allowed out in public, and faced ridicule and ostracism if they did go out. Worst of all, they became a burden on their families. In a time and place where most work was physical, a disabled person was a real drain on the ability of a farm or ranch family to survive. Becoming crippled was truly a fate worse than death.

It's interesting to wonder what attitudes now drive our fears and how they will look to generations yet to come. Bleed, Blister, and Purge is full of such thought-provoking nuggets and would be enjoyed by anyone with an interest in the history of medicine. It's a quality book that you can either dip into or enjoy reading straight through.

This book refers to the 1800s in Montana through the eyes of various doctors and medical personnel. Well written and filled with interesting facts from the era. An excellent read and well worth your time. If you are studying medicine in the Old West, this is the book for you.

I loved this book and read it with an almost ecstatic compulsion. Although I was familiar with some of the basics from history and science professors, I had never had an opportunity to see the rich and varied history of this profession interact with such a charming and brutal historical context, and there wasn't anything dry about this narrative. For a non-fiction book, it is warm and engaging, and while many of the things described are brutal and stomach churning, the humanity of the book shines through. Some of the previous reviewers felt that it was lacking in the explanation of certain medical terminology, and certainly there were some things that could have been better defined for an average reader, who may occasionally have to find the definitions for some words in an outside source (yes, there is a glossary, but I didn't find every word I needed there). Another reviewer mentioned that they would have preferred more first person accounts and information on certain subjects. While I felt a similar urge, one of the things I liked about this book was that it inspired a deeper interest in many of the side mentions, and conveniently, this book is well cited: every small first person quotation can be looked up or found so that one can read the greater text, and there is a wealth of information on many of the other issues. I am glad it left me hungering to read more on various topics, but I feel that all of the information in this book is well contained and well chosen, and does not require fleshing out even if it would be enjoyable to read more.

wow where do i start with such a wondrous and informative book Such as this. I was skeptical when i brought it after reading some of the reviews here, but these people either need to learn how to read a glossary of terms, or read a childrens book on basic medical conditions. like with most scholarly texts, it is required to have some previous knowledge of medicine, but anybody who has taken an interest in history, or even their own physical health will have no problem knowing terms and understanding treatments.
As the Author of this book is elderly, i can feel through the pages the depth of character and spirituality within, that this work is his final goodbye to his profession. It feels like a private prayer he is conveying to his ancestors and i truly feel privileged to have the ability to read it.
Buy this book, respect the wealth of information provided, and share in the privilege of this spiritual homage.

Well organized, informative, interesting and entertaining. From the descriptions and technical details to the biographical sketches and illustrations, Bleed, Blister and Purge is an invaluable resource for those researching medicine on the American frontier.

A must read for any re-enactor. Wonderful look at frontier medicine in the 1800s and early 1900s.

Bleed, Blister, and Purge is brought to us by a doctor for doctors. The author, a physician from a family of Western physicians has done a thorough job researching medicine as used by indigenous people, settlers, early doctors, and the early medical establishments. The book deals in turn with various threats to public health including diseases introduced by Europeans that decimated Indian populations, venereal diseases, and womens health. The chapter on the Lewis and Clark expedition was especially interesting and made me want more information on the subject.

I would have enjoyed the book more if it had had more first person stories by doctors and other healers. The author is clearly full of admiration for his predecessors and it would have been good to hear more from them in their own voices. I learned many interesting tidbits from my read (about Rocky Mountain spotted fever, for example, the "black measles"). At times the author expects more medical knowledge from the reader than I have. I found the glossary at the end after I had finished the book, so I didn't check it for completeness.