My daughter, Grace, urges me to keep writing my blog even though no one comments. It does not mean they are not reading all the family history. Anyway doctors say it is good therapy for anxiety.

Today's topic is ....Health in the 1930s and 1940s

There were health standards in the thirties and forties just as there are today; only they were very different.

I was a thin child. Shirley Temple was the dimpled picture of health parents of the day were presented . Not only was I thin but had freaky white straight hair; not bouncy dark curls like Shirley.

A lot of people did not have enough to eat during that period so overweight people were thought to be extra healthy. People just naturally died of heart disease.  It was thought that this was normal and anyone who suggested changing the way people ate to gain better health was thought to be weird. Consequently, like other little girls who looked unhealthy, I took the dreaded cod liver oil by spoon every day all winter long.

Doctors were few and revered as "Gods" They did come to the house but medicine was not advanced enough to be much help to them or their patients. We went to clinics for what immunizations were available.

 When school started in the fall, the first thing the administration ordered was that all students were checked for lice.  It was an absolute scandal when a very popular pretty  girl from a prominent family , with long hair (down past her waist) was found to have lice and had to have her hair cut off! Then they doused the head with a kerosene mixture. It was not her fault that she got lice from some playmate or pet, but you could see that she felt humiliated.

At least once a week we were lined up and inspected for things like fingernails being  clean and neat, and general overall hygiene. If  some child had a definite problem in that area I think the parents were contacted.

Welfare had a stigma back then. People fought to stay off "the dole". 

The Welfare people were very strict about what one who got welfare could own. I don't think they could own property or a car. There were stories of how welfare recipients would hide belongings, even gifts, when the inspector would pop in to  see how they were doing.

People who were down on their luck, but did not want to divest themselves of most of their belongings, joined churches who made sure they did not starve or freeze. Usually their situations improved swiftly.

Polio was the big scary disease . There was no known defense against it yet.

People did die of polio.  We were shown pictures of people in  iron lungs and told to stay out of the lakes in late summer. Thankfully, when the vaccine became available, uncle Tom Slough,personally, made sure we all got immunized. Whata guy!!