Infections in the Oil Region
- Lydia Seaton
- Sep 24
- 6 min read
This week, the staff at the Venango Museum wanted to discuss the history of Venango County and public health, specifically focusing on aggressive, contagious illnesses such as tuberculosis.
While diphtheria, typhoid, and tuberculosis seem like diseases of the past, they were prevalent in the region much more recently than you may assume, and continue to plague people around the world.
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis is a disease that has been around for much of human history. The illness reached “epidemic proportions” in Europe and North America during the 18th and 19th centuries, largely due to the rise of industrialization and urbanization; however, it has been a concern for humans far longer than just the 18th and 19th centuries.
The disease is contagious and infectious, caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium Tuberculosis. This bacterium was discovered by Dr. Robert Koch in 1882. At that time, 1 in 7 people were dying of tuberculosis (TB) in the United States and across Europe.
The name “tuberculosis” was given to the disease in 1834 due to the characteristic lesions caused by the infection in the lungs or other organs. These lumps were given the name “tubercles,” which comes from the Latin word “tuber,” meaning lump or knob. The bacteria, viewed under a microscope, also resemble tuberous vegetables like potatoes, which further contributed to the name “tuberculosis.”
There were many other names for TB throughout history, however, such as “phthisis,” in ancient Greek, or “tabes” in ancient Latin. In the Middle Ages, the disease was also referred to as “scrofula” due to the swelling of lymph nodes in the neck.
In the 18th century, the disease was known as the “white plague” due to the pale complexion that people with tuberculosis would develop. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the disease became widely known as consumption, before being finally named tuberculosis.
The illness was said to have “brought death to many,” and was a “primary killer of young men and women, an illness which eventually sapped all their strength.”
TB is also not exclusive to humans. It is also a disease found in animals such as cattle and deer. Before the pasteurization of milk became a common practice, humans could be contaminated with TB germs through contaminated milk. In the United States, human cases can still be linked to the consumption of contaminated foods such as unpasteurized milk and other dairy products.
Between the 1600s and 1800s, tuberculosis caused 25% of all deaths in Europe, with similar numbers in the USA. In the 21st century, it is common knowledge that TB spreads through the air from one person to another via coughing, speaking, or singing. However, the knowledge of germs and bacteria wasn’t always understood.
Treatments for TB also varied considerably over time. Before antibiotics were discovered, it
was believed that the best treatment for TB was “Lana, letto, latte.” Translated from Italian, this statement means that warmth, rest, and good food were the necessary components to recovery – Wool, bed, and milk.
In the Middle Ages, it was believed that TB could be cured with a “royal touch” from European sovereignty. In the 1800s, consuming cod liver oil, vinegar massages, and inhaling hemlock and turpentine were standard practices.
In 1943, the treatment for TB changed when the antibiotic Streptomycin was discovered.
Sanatoriums
Another common practice for treating tuberculosis was the use of sanatoriums. These were specialized hospitals where people received treatment for their illnesses. The treatment would occur away from home in a residential facility. Those who had TB would be isolated from non-infected persons, which greatly stopped the spread of TB germs between family and friends.
The treatment in sanatoriums was similar to the “lana, lette, latte” expression, which was often used in regard to TB recovery. The most used therapies were fresh air, good food, and rest. Surgery would also be prescribed for severe cases. The first sanatorium in the USA was built in 1875 by Joseph Gleitsmann in Asheville, North Carolina. By 1904, there were 115 sanatoriums in the United States with room for 8,000 patients. By 1953, there were 839 sanatoriums with room for 136,000 patients.
In 1904, Samuel Y. Ramage founded the Grandview Institution, which was a sanatorium for Venango County residents with TB.
The institute was “devoted” to using the latest treatments to care for patients with TB. Ramage endowed the institution so that care would be provided for patients, regardless of their ability to pay. Oil City’s sanatorium originated in a farmhouse but quickly expanded to provide dormitories for both men and women.
The Oil City Medical Club met at the Grandview Institution in November 1905, where they “cordially endorsed” the practice.
"Resolved, that after a careful examination of the open air treatment for pulmonary tuberculosis, as carried out and practiced at the Grandview Hospital that this is the best and most efficient treatment known to the medical profession at the present time and that this terrible disease, especially in incipient cases, cannot only be relieved but cured, and that we cordially endorse the treatment as carried out at this institution."
— Oil City Medical Club to Grandview
Sanatoriums had various treatment options. At Grandview, one of these was placing patients in winter weather conditions in an attempt to “freeze” the tuberculosis, thereby killing it. Patients, along with their rest and time spent in fresh air, were also given a nutritious diet. If the patient had been undernourished or food insecure before entering the hospital, this would significantly improve their condition.
Other therapies, such as “collapse therapy,” were used. This involves artificially collapsing a patient’s lungs to rest them, stop the spread of infection, and promote healing. This practice was most often a last resort and carried the risk of complications. The most crucial part of sanatoriums was the isolation of ill patients from the general population, which greatly stopped the spread of disease.
The relationship between milk and tuberculosis was well established, and it was known that consuming unpasteurized milk could cause the disease.
Dr. George B. Jobson of Franklin, who was the president of the Pennsylvania State Veterinary Association, was a guest speaker at the International Tuberculosis Congress in 1908, where he spoke in depth about the connection between TB and its relation to man.
Grandview was unable to handle a large number of patients, so local communities helped provide treatment to those who remained in their homes. State nurses operated medical dispensaries, and tuberculosis societies were formed to handle as many cases as possible.
Despite Ramage’s endowment to Grandview, the hospital continued to struggle. In 1924, a fundraiser was initiated to raise $30,000, which was to be allocated towards debt repayment, building repairs, medical equipment, and the construction of a recreational building. This fundraiser was successful, and $33,500 was raised for the institution.
The following year, another fundraiser began, this time to build a new wing of the hospital specifically for treating advanced cases of TB. This wing was to be located in a separate building with room for 25 beds, as well as two private rooms for isolation. The new structure brought Grandview’s capacity up to 57 beds.
During WWII, the labor shortage and difficulty maintaining a registered nurse staff caused the institution to close in August 1943. Patients were transferred to Cresson, another TB hospital, or other institutions. Upon closing, the building was converted into a rehabilitation center and convalescent home.
Public Health in Venango County
There were a wide variety of diseases that plagued Venango County during the 19th and 20th centuries, many of which are no longer major issues in the region today. In 1895, for instance, Oil City was dealing with an epidemic-level outbreak of diphtheria and typhoid fever.
River water was blamed for many of the typhoid cases, which caused fever, headache, stomach upset, and other unpleasant – and fatal – symptoms. Before modern antibiotics, typhoid’s mortality rate could be as high as 10-30%. In the 21st century, the rate is now less than 2% in developed countries.
Diphtheria was also an unpleasant bacterial infection, causing a sore throat, fever, and possible fatality. A vaccine developed in the 1920s significantly helped control the illness.
There were also health concerns over smallpox despite there never being a recorded outbreak in Venango County. There was only one noted case, which killed a husband and wife and left their two children blinded.
The influenza epidemic of 1918-1919 was another serious issue in Venango County. Hundreds of citizens were ill, and emergency hospital facilities were established to handle the surge of severe cases.
Schools were closed and public gatherings were banned. Newspapers ran daily accounts of those who had died and the number of new cases reported. Notices were printed asking for volunteer grave diggers, and massive volunteer efforts to clean the streets began.
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