Notes 11.23.rtf

November 23, 2009 Medical Explanations of Greensickness - Perhaps they were actually sick! re- diagnoses of greensickness by modern scholars consider if its good enough mid 19th century, iron pills had success of treating chlorosis Awareness of the source Guggenheim iron deficincy anemia, and that was what was making them sick trust or not trust expect the problems you see will fit with your expertise not reading the document with a historian's sceptisim thinks she can solve by treating all as opposed to one doctor whose expertise is on nutrition Iron- deficiency anemia faint, headaches, weird food cravings, pale skin, shortness of breath, heart palpatations blood cancers, and can die of anemia eat more red meat "hystery was classified as a mental disease like epilepsy......marriage to be the best remedy for this affliction in girls" p 1822 common threads between Salem girls and Greensick girls young, unmarried, bled with leeches, and subject galenic medicinal treatments, pains, shortness of breath, depression, hysterical Mental health assumptions were hiding a medical disorder Missing periods? anemia often causes heavy periods, not weak or missing periods Anemia is a common side effect of several other conditions, including pregnancy sometimes it just low iron, sometimes cancer, hemoglobin, genetic (some have to prevent extra iron) why is sex/marriage the cure for greensickness? you get your exercise....and no that's not it. :-p because you can cover pregnancy didn't know for sure, and there was a question of it, and greensick, marry to cover it up if it is pregnancy in Puritan Massachusettes, up to 1/2 of brides was already pregnant before marriage Siddall on Bleeding Bleeding as a popular treatment in the 19th cent. not medically advisable even made porceline bleeding plates anemia: weak or missing red blood cells took out all the blood cells bleeding during the pregnancy and heritable anemia mother to daughter, eiatrogenics (some treatement a doctor uses on you makes you sick) demise of bleeding, so did greensickness how good of an answer is anemia? does it explain or not combined with anemia, bleeding, pregnancy it does work.....but does not explain coloration problems bundeling - couple told to be married, make sure they could manage, they had a courting ritual, special bed, board down the middle between them, let them fool around, waist up....in Puritan Massachussettes don't see this with pregnant women who are married anemia does not explain lack of period HOMEWORK Read Loundon and Theirot agree with all teenage girls are crazy?