Infections & Disease - Leeds 1950s

Tasa · Post by **Tasa** » Fri 05 Oct, 2012 7:28 pm

Living in the centre of Leeds in the 1960s, before it became a smokeless zone, the air was extremely polluted and I was very susceptible to respiratory infections and I spent every winter suffering from croup, one of the symptoms of which was a "barking" cough. The catchment area for my school was the centre of Leeds and Woodhouse and many of my schoolmates had the same thing - the teacher must have wondered whether she was conducting a class of humans or dogs at times!I realise that this is slightly after your reference period of the 1950s, but I'm sure it was just as prevalent then.

Derculees · Post by **Derculees** » Sat 06 Oct, 2012 4:24 pm

I had my tonsils removed, in hospital, (the house can't have been acceptable). My brother went one better and had his appendix removed.Not exactly a disease but Rickets seems to be returning, more prevalent amongst the Asian community, due to dietary lack of Calcium, vitamin D, and lack of, sunlight. We were always told scarlet fever came from street drains and don't play near 'fever grates'

Johnny39 · Post by **Johnny39** » Sat 06 Oct, 2012 6:43 pm

Derculees wrote: I had my tonsils removed, in hospital, (the house can't have been acceptable). My brother went one better and had his appendix removed.Not exactly a disease but Rickets seems to be returning, more prevalent amongst the Asian community, due to dietary lack of Calcium, vitamin D, and lack of, sunlight. We were always told scarlet fever came from street drains and don't play near 'fever grates' Yes Derculees we were told the same about street drains, fever etc., but if a tar machine was in the neighbourhood we were told to go stand near it as the tar fumes were good for the chest.