Yorktown’s Diphtheria Epidemic of 1895
I look forward to when we can look back on COVID-19 and see it as an ‘old-timey’ disease like the mumps and whooping cough; illnesses that became (mostly) irrelevant with vaccinations. We certainly hope for a similar fate with the coronavirus. Furthermore, although only smallpox has been eradicated, many other infectious diseases have been eliminated in the United States, such as yellow fever, malaria, polio, measles, rubella, and diphtheria.
The latter made local headlines in 1895 when a deadly outbreak occurred in Yorktown. On April 5, the Muncie Evening Press reported that 16-year-old Laura Belle Flowers died after suffering from a particularly virulent case. Her death understandably spooked the good people of Yorktown. Within days, several cases appeared in nine houses, all of which were placed under quarantine by county health officials.
Diphtheria was common before the vaccine arrived in 1923. In the first half of 1895 alone, local newspapers reported small outbreaks in Bethel, Cowan, DeSoto, Yorktown, and Muncie. When the disease appeared, those afflicted, along with their families, were quarantined at home for several weeks.
1895 wasn’t long after the development of the germ theory of disease, an understanding that identifies pathogenic organisms as the cause of infectious illness. Germ theory replaced miasma theory, which held that foul air propagated infection.
The germ that causes diphtheria was first identified by Edwin Klebs and Friedrich Löffler in 1883. The German bacteriologists named their discovery Klebs-Löffler bacillus. Like many things with German names, the moniker alone spreads as much terror as the germ (e.g. gingivitis in German is Zahnfleischentzündung, which translates to tooth-meat inflammation). Today, the bacterium is called Corynebacterium diphtheriae
Diphtheria may also possibly be caused by a related bacterium, Corynebacterium ulcerans, which is transmitted to humans from cattle. This has led to the adage, “don’t pet a cow with the sniffles.” Ok, I made that up, but seriously, don’t drink unpasteurized milk.
Corynebacterium diphtheriae, however, is spread person-to-person through respiratory droplets exuded by sneezing and coughing. In many cases, those infected are asymptomatic or develop relatively mild flu-symptoms. Diphtheria isn’t directly caused by the bacteria, but by a lethal toxin produced when the bacillus is itself infected by a virus, known as a bacteriophage. The virus then alters the genetic code of the bacteria to release the toxin, which kills healthy tissue. If it enters the bloodstream, diphtheria toxin damages organs and the nervous system. In severe cases, the toxin will cause oozing lesions, heart attacks, respiratory failure, paralysis, coma, and death. 5–10% of those infected will die, but the number climbs to 20% for children and those over 40. Only Corynebacterium diphtheriae infected with bacteriophages can cause serious illness.
By mid-April of 1895, the local papers reported that the diphtheria outbreak in Yorktown was contained. The Muncie Morning News wrote, “every precaution is being taken to prevent its spreading and no further trouble is to be feared.” That confidence, however, was short lived. By September, diphtheria returned to Yorktown in force.
By mid-month, county health officials identified eighteen new diphtheria cases in Mount Pleasant township, mostly children. All township schools and churches closed, while public meetings were banned. The Muncie Evening Press noted that “the presence of the deadly disease in Yorktown has cast a gloom over that little town. The greatest precaution and care will have to be exercised to prevent its spread.”
After health officials believed the disease had been contained, schools reopened, only to close again on October 1 when twelve new cases suddenly appeared. By October 5, diphtheria was also reported in Shideler, Muncie, and Anderson.
Apparently, our good friends from Anderson were under the impression that diphtheria had arrived by floating down the White River from Muncie. In an op-ed, the Muncie Morning News wrote “some very foolish people in Anderson affect to believe that the epidemic of diphtheria raging there is produced by the polluted water of White River…bless their dear souls — there is an epidemic of the same fatal disease in a hundred different towns in various parts of the United States.”
I couldn’t find any sources from Anderson’s side of the accusation. However, I did discover that our sister city apparently outlawed cats as a prophylactic measure against diphtheria, or so the Morning News would have us believe, “the authorities have ordered Andersonians to part with their cats. It has been found that the animals have in many cases diphtheria and are spreading it.” Poor kitties.
Yorktown saw, on average, five new diphtheria cases each week and, by the end of the month, several deaths, including three children of the Stauffer family. By Halloween, the sick were given anti-toxins developed in horses; the only measure available at the time to treat the disease. The effort reduced the death rate significantly.
By mid-November, the papers once again proclaimed the epidemic over. The Muncie Morning News wrote that “the epidemic is a thing of the past. The schools have been opened and public meetings are now allowed.”
But…wait for it…the disease reappeared a month later, with thirteen new cases. Once again, Mount Pleasant schools and churches closed, meetings were banned, and “three persons (were) appointed to personally visit each family in the village and notify the members thereof of the measures adopted.”
After that, the newspapers are silent. We can only speculate without proper documentation, but it’s possible that the disease was contained. Diphtheria reports pick up again in fall of 1896, this time from Gaston, Macedonia, Oakville, DeSoto, Royerton, and Daleville. However, these outbreaks were far less deadly than what had occurred in Yorktown the year before.
Small outbreaks are reported in Delaware County throughout the early 20th century, but largely disappear after the Second World War. In the 1940s, the diphtheria vaccine became widely available and was routinely given with tetanus and pertussis shots. Worldwide, the vaccine has decreased the incidence rate by 90%. For those few that still develop it in the U.S., antibiotics and antitoxins provide relief, rendering this once deadly disease a thing of the past.
