1756 — Summer, Diphtheria, children, Saco, ME — 14

–14  Duffy. Epidemics in Colonial America. 1953 and 1979, p. 126.

Narrative Information

Duffy: “The next summer [1756] fourteen children were carried off in Saco, an adjacent town[1]. The reporter of these deaths commented upon the prevailing ‘sickly time’ and listed the ills affecting the local towns and villages. In only one town, Saco, was the throat distemper[2] the cause of the trouble. This fact illustrates once again the throat distemper characteristic of moving slowly and flaring up sporadically in scattered areas. Thus towns within five or ten miles of focal points of infection frequently were unaffected.”

Source

Duffy, John. Epidemics in Colonial America. Baton Rouge, LA: Louisiana State University Press, 1953, reprinted 1979.

[1] Had just previously been writing of a diphtheria outbreak in 1755 in New Casco, near Falmouth, ME.

[2] Later throat distemper would be named diphtheria. This section of Duffy’s book is on diphtheria and scarlet fever.