Ancient physicians dealt with a strange disease which seemed to fog the minds of their patients while it racked their bodies. Drawing from the Greek word for "smoke" or "haze," these physicians dubbed it "typhus." Typhus is still prevalent in certain parts of the world where living conditions and other factors make its spread a problem.
Greek
Classical physicians such as Galen and Hippocrates, described a sickness which first manifested as small, red spots on the victims' body and invariably clouded their minds, sending them into delirium. Though the disease was apparently common in the ancient world, the first reliably documented outbreak of typhus occurred in Muslim-controlled Spain in the 15th century.
Crime and Disease
Typhus garnered the nickname "jail fever" in the early modern age because close confines allowed the disease's carrier--lice--to flourish. In the 16th century, periodic, or "assize," courts meant that many prisoners languished in filthy, vermin-infested jails for months before being granted their day in court. In that century, and again in the mid-18th century, the criminals brought before these assize courts passed the disease on to the members of the court, often resulting in hundreds of deaths.
War Prisoners
Like their criminal counterparts, soldiers and prisoners of war often lived for prolonged periods of time in filthy, deprived conditions. "Jail fever" quickly became known as "camp fever" as soldiers in Napoleon's army sickened and died in the field almost as often as they did from hostile fire. Changes to camp structure and rules regarding cleanliness and hygiene helped curb the effects of typhus, but did not end them.
Civil War
The Civil War was America's deadliest war in terms of American soldiers killed, but surprisingly, typhus rarely left its mark on camps or prisoner of war prisons. Soldiers and prisoners in Northern camps did not seem to contract the disease as readily as their European cousins. Some scientists hypothesize that differences in North America's climate or indigenous louse might account for this anomaly.
Typhus Bacteria
Typhus is caused by two bacteria; Rickettsia typhi or Rickettsia prowazekii. R. typhi causes endemic typhus or "jail fever" and is rare in the United States. R. prowazekii, however, is not uncommon in America's southeast and southern states, especially in the warmer months of summer and early fall, and causes murine typhus.
Warning
Both typhus bacteria are carried by lice which often reside on rats or other rodents and their feces. Though uncommon in northern climates, typhus is still prevalent in warm climates in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America in addition to the southern United States. If you are visiting these regions, it is advisable to avoid contact with contaminated rodents, feral cats, or other wild animal as well as their droppings.
Tags: assize courts, jail fever, , United States