John Spencer is a retired Sheffield University trained doctor who has worked in France, the Bahamas, Canada, Australia

and Derbyshire. His keen observant eye, his sense of history, reflective mind and his love of the Peak District combine in this collection of forgotten medical disorders, which were once prevalent in this ancient and relatively unspoilt area of Northern England.

DEATH AND DISEASE IN THE PEAK AND OTHER

PAST PERILS

Dedication
I would like to dedicate this book to all my friends in the Peak District and to my wife Patricia whose patience and understanding has enabled me to complete the work in its Present form.

John Spencer

DEATH AND DISEASE IN THE PEAK AND OTHER

PAST PERILS

Copyright John Spencer The right of John Spencer to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers. Any person who commits any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library. ISBN 978 184963 379 6 www.austinmacauley.com First Published (2013) Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd. 25 Canada Square Canary Wharf London E14 5LB

Printed and bound in Great Britain

Acknowledgments

In the ten years of assimilating and putting together the chapters of this book I have received valuable help from many experts on various topics. Roger Cox contributed vital information on tuberculosis in cattle, Julie Bunting of Bakewell was a gold mine of local historical information and the vicar of Winster who kindly gave his time and energy in searching the local grave yard for evidence relevant to the chapter on rabies. My thanks also go to Bob and Elisabeth Spencer who meticulously checked the original manuscript and to my children, Matthew and Marian for their assistance with the technical aspects of word processing and scanning of pictures and images.

Death and Disease in the Park

This short book is a historical account of the hardships and challenges faced by the residents of the Peak District before the present age of modern scientific medicine. It is concerned with many places and communities which are present and of relevance to the present day and hence of interest to tourists and visitors to the Peak District today. Whilst the disorders described are not unique to the Peak it is a microcosm of many other English rural communities during the last few hundred years. The book commences with a general overview of life and its challenges in bygone eras and then explores the condition called Derbyshire Neck a disorder of the thyroid gland caused by a lack of iodine in the limestone soils of the area and the medical detective work involved in unravelling the puzzle. Several accounts then focus on illnesses associated with lead mining, leprosy, the plague, child abuse in the mills, tuberculosis, anorexia nervosa, rabies, ancient healing sites such as Matlock and Buxton, the role of magic and Placibology etc. The differences are explained between our fortunate healthy lifestyles today and the miserable and fearful existence of our ancestors who before the advent of antibiotics, vaccination and comprehensive health services had no protection against the hazards of infectious diseases, harsh winters and dangerous occupations. The Peak District still has many fascinating landmarks and artefacts where the interested tourist can visit, enjoy the sights and reflect on how fortunate we are in the 21 st century compared to the existence a little more than 100 years ago. Hopefully the book will add to the literature in the book shops and tourist outlets in this popular part of Derbyshire.

Introduction

Life is an enigma. It is the unique property of plants, animals and marine creatures that sets them apart from inert matter. Life enables plants and animals to find and use food to create energy that allows them to grow, to move, to breathe to reproduce and to replicate themselves. From lowly lichens to haughty humans there is life! The most sophisticated and highly evolved life forms have acquired the ability to be aware of themselves: an extraordinary phenomenon referred to as consciousness. All attempts to understand the meaning or purpose of life have so far failed so there is no alternative but to accept it as an unsolved mystery. Life is a temporary phenomenon. Some tiny insects live only minutes when climatic conditions are favourable whilst giant sequoia trees live a thousand years or more but no life forms live forever. Aldous Huxley, the revered scientist, once said that Life is but a process of dying! Every life form has an approximate inbuilt life expectancy unless some external factor or threat interferes. Sadly life is fragile and is often cut short, sometimes suddenly and unexpectedly either by accident or illness. It is an inescapable fact that wherever there is life there will always be the threat of illness, disease or accident. Since the time of Hippocrates and possibly earlier, mankind has invented many strategies and cures for treating sickness and disease. Each generation searches for solutions to the prevailing illnesses but despite mans ingenuity and partial successes a new wave of maladies and threats to life are never far away. Today we no longer worry about small pox, plague, leprosy, cholera or scarlet fever. These older pestilences have been replaced by newer threats to our survival and scientific ingenuity. Since the turn of the century we have already had to

combat foot and mouth disease, mad cow disease (BSE), swine fever, Ebola fever, bird flu, Aids (now a worldwide epidemic), antibiotic resistant bacteria infecting hospitals and more recently a new strain of Bacterium Coli has evolved claiming over twenty lives and bankrupting scores of vegetable growers across Europe. In the days before antibiotics, vaccination, sanitation, clean drinking water, public health regulations, sewage disposal and adequate nutrition, infant mortality was high and early death was an acceptable occurrence. In the Peak District, as in all parts of the country, life was existentially insecure and constantly threatened by the knowledge that lurking round the next corner of time a new, frightening and lethal epidemic for which there was no cure was waiting. The basic needs of human beings are food, water, shelter and health care; this last one being the most precarious and the most difficult to maintain because of the ever changing varieties of illnesses and dangers concealed in our daily environment. My intention is to look briefly at some of these disorders, not just for reasons of historical curiosity but also as a reminder of how fortunate we are in the 21 st century to possess the knowledge, technology and assurance of modern medicine, which enables most of us to live without the dread of premature death.

Dr Buxtons Challenge

The hilly area of North Derbyshire is known as the Peak District and enjoys a reputation for fresh air, dry stone walls, caves, outdoor pursuits and an invigorating climate. The area is divided into the Dark Peak to the north and the White Peak to the south, adjectives reflecting geological differences. The land to the north is predominantly millstone grit, once a convenient source of hard material for the grindstones of Sheffields steel and cutlery industry, the southern and more verdant region consists of much lighter limestone. There are no sprawling cities and no major industries to spoil the countryside. Ancient pathways, megalithic remains and scores of upland villages would be recognisable to the folk who lived here four hundred years ago. Most of the Peak is now protected by the Peak District National Park Authority who rigorously monitor, regulate and scrutinise all submissions for any proposed new development. Whilst many find this irritatingly restrictive the authority is an important agency in maintaining and preserving the beauty and history of the region. Our Peakland ancestors would find many things quite unrecognisable. The list would include motor vehicles, our clothes, television, phones, iPods, computers, flush toilets and all the trappings of our technological lifestyle. In addition to all this modern paraphernalia our friends from the past would be amazed at how old many of us are and of our reliance on pills, medicines, health services and hospitals. All civilisations pass through three historical phases roughly described as survival, enquiry and sophistication and these reflect the attitudes of the time to the many aspects of life, which are deemed important. One example reflects the prevailing attitude to food and is demonstrated by three simple questions: Is there anything to eat? What shall we eat? and

Where shall we eat this evening? The family that is unaware where the next meal is coming from has little interest in how or where it was grown or what delicacies are on the menu at the local tavern or restaurant. Less than two hundred years ago most inhabitants of the Peak were still emerging from the survival stage of evolution and consequently were unconcerned with the quest for meaning or philosophical issues such as the purpose of life. They had a simple faith, an unquestioning belief in God and an acceptance of religious explanations as dictated by the Church and the authority of priests who assisted them in their frequent encounters with death, bereavement and life-threatening illness. Without effective medicines, anaesthetics, surgery, vaccination, clean water or sewage disposal, death was an ever present and familiar shadow lurking behind every corner of daily existence. Consequently many diseases and ailments, which are foreign to the modern Peak dweller, were daily hazards and threats to life and well being. Of course the Peak District is not unique in its history of illnesses but it is a microcosm of the past, which demonstrates mankinds endless struggle against sickness and ill health and a trenchant reminder of just how fortunate we are in our present yet fragile era of sophistication, material abundance and conspicuous consumption. Due to the hilly nature of the Peak District and the isolation of small towns and villages there have been many unique historical medical happenings over the centuries. It is not always possible to identify these illnesses and epidemics because prior to 1850 there were no reliable diagnostic tests or classification systems and no centralised illness records. Consequently the terms plague, dysentery, typhoid, typhus, consumption and fever were all used loosely and interchangeably. The aim of this little book is not to focus on diseases but to look at the present day remnants, landmarks and places which can remind us of the daily hardships and fears of our ancestors and of diseases gone by and how different life must have been before the safeguards and

treatments of our present era that we assume, without question, that we are entitled to, enjoy and take so much for granted. Microbes invisible yet lethal Dr Buxtons challenge Many valuable historical treasures are on permanent display in our ancient churches often revealing insights as to how our ancestors used to live before the age of science, technology and modern medicine. The parish church of Great Longstone has stood for nearly a thousand years serving the spiritual needs of the villagers and has been the joyful venue for thousands of weddings and even more sombre funerals Within its weathered stonewalls and the elevated carved wood beamed nave are many relics reflecting events of past centuries. High on the wall of the west-facing nave is a small yet poignant memorial, reminding us of the infective hazards of everyday life in the early 19th century. This cogent reminder is a plain white tablet surrounded by a marble frame. The inscription is in simple yet clear English text informing us that, The inhabitants of Longstone and its neighbourhood by subscription, caused this tablet to be erected to perpetuate the memory of Edward Buxton of this place, surgeon and apothecary, formally practising in Bakewell; his professional abilities ever ready to assist the poor and needy, shone particularly conspicuous during a long epidemical contagion which in the year 1820, afflicted this village; when his gratuitously administering relief to sooth and subdue the existing woe strongly testified his goodness of heart.