Historical perspectives in pediatrics. Young patients in a young nation: scarlet fever in early nineteenth century rural New England.

Children in the United States have benefited considerably from advancements in medical and nursing science over the course of the past 200 years. The twentieth century saw dramatic declines in the incidence of childhood diseases; the prevalence of measles, haemophilus influenzae type B, diphtheria, rubella and tetanus are at all time lows (CDC, 2006). Indeed, many pediatric nurses have never seen any of these diseases, something that would certainly have startled their predecessors just a few generations ago. Before the mid- twentieth century, caring for children with communicable diseases represented the cornerstone of pediatric nursing practice. Now that the incidence has decreased among American children, it is easy to forget about these diseases that once decimated whole communities. This article tries to peel back the mists of history by studying children's health in one rural New England town during the days of the early republic in the 1830s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Pediatric Nursing is the property of Jannetti Publications, Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)