The National Library of Medicine’s Digital Collections for the Genealogist
By: Bill Burchfield, MSLS, Kentucky Historical Society Librarian We all know that the early history of the United States is filled with disease epidemics. Kentucky has shared in their sometimes-disastrous outcomes. Cholera was an especially dreadful disease that cropped up from time to time in various locations throughout the Commonwealth in the mid-19th century. Many times, cholera would break out more than once in a location given it is caused by contaminated water. Water purification and sanitation were wholly different in the 19th century compared to today, plus, methods to prevent contamination were not fully understood. Yellow fever was another...