By Jon E. Purmont
President, WH Historical Society
Did you ever wonder what it was like to live in West Haven when quarantines were imposed during epidemics in the early decades of the 20th Century? Are there any similarities to the current covid-19 restrictions we have endured in recent months? What were the policies of the local Health Department when diseases such as mumps, measles, and scarlet fever spread among the population? Were children particularly susceptible to these infections?
Answers to those questions were found in an unlikely place: a scrapbook recently acquired by the West Haven Historical Society. I came across an informative article written by the late Harriet North, City Historian. She wrote the article entitled “20th Century Epidemics Gone, But Not Forgotten” in the February 25,1988 edition of the West Haven News. In it was her recollection of a l937 outbreak of Scarlet Fever which infected her young daughter.
Scarlet fever was an acute infection caused by the streptococcus virus. It was characterized by the onset of a fever, sore throat, and rash and it was one of the leading causes of death among children between ages 5-15. The use of an anti-toxin was first used in 1924 to treat patients but its efficacy was not very successful. Penicillin became available as a treatment in the 1940’s and its use proved quite successful.
Mrs. North’s only child, once diagnosed, was subsequently quarantined in the family’s home on Center Street. Although her case was not severe, she faced total bed rest and three weeks confinement in her home. But the restrictions did not stop there.
A picture of the Health Department’s quarantine notice (shown here) accompanied Mrs. North’s article. The sign had to be attached to a prominent place in the front of her home. It noted that a person living in the house was quarantined-and “no person could enter or leave the premises without permission of the city’s Health Officer Dr. Eugene Cozzolino.”
The name of the ill person was written on the notice and included the effective date when the quarantine began and when it would end. In her daughter’s case the dates were June 19-July 10, l937.
Needless to say, children who were quarantined were not allowed to attend school until the three week period ended. Mrs. North mentions she was “in a state of collapse” after keeping her youngster amused and entertained throughout the ordeal. All of this in a time when there was no television, no virtual learning option for the young girl, and no playmates to take up her time!!
Sorry Mrs. North, an epidemic is with us again in the 21st century!! Fortunately, we have television and virtual learning to keep young people entertained and educated- to keep them occupied during this health crisis. No quarantine signs placed on houses!! Most important, we now have vaccines which holdout the promise of a brighter future for all.