Using nursing history to inform decision-making: Infectious diseases at the turn of the 20th century

Nursing Outlook
Brigid LuskSandra B Lewenson

Abstract

This historical paper examines the impact of infectious diseases on the urban poor of Chicago and New York a century ago, before most vaccines were developed. Working on the front lines of health promotion and health care, nurses and other providers are charged with informing the public about offered vaccines. The intent of this paper is to supplement providers' knowledge about vaccination with an appreciation of the devastation these diseases once caused. Historical methodology guided this study in which archival and oral sources were used. The continued outbreaks of smallpox at the turn of the twentieth century, when a vaccine was available, may be compared with the re-emergence of measles today. Additionally, this paper shows the devastation caused by other, non-preventable, infections of the period. Awareness of the history related to the impact of infectious diseases, especially the role nurses played in decision-making related to care, is critical for today's health care providers.

References

Feb 15, 2001·The New England Journal of Medicine·M R AlbertJ G Breman
Mar 28, 2008·The Journal of Infectious Diseases·Charles E Rosenberg
Apr 12, 2008·The New England Journal of Medicine·Gustavo H DayanJane F Seward
May 8, 2009·The New England Journal of Medicine·Saad B OmerNeal Halsey
Nov 3, 2012·The Virtual Mentor : VM·Jason L Schwartz
Jan 25, 2013·Emerging Infectious Diseases·Eugenia Tognotti
Jul 31, 2013·Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics·Heidi J Larson
Oct 16, 2013·Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics·Joseph B Domachowske, Manika Suryadevara
Aug 20, 2014·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Stanley Plotkin
Feb 13, 2015·JAMA : the Journal of the American Medical Association·Lawrence O Gostin

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Citations

Jul 28, 2016·Issues in Mental Health Nursing·Jacquelyn H Flaskerud
Apr 22, 2020·Nursing Inquiry·Sally Thorne

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