16 January 1997 Edition
Remembering the Past : Black `47
By Peter O'Rourke
The year 1847, which was to become known as ``Black 47'', was one of the worst years of the Famine of 1845-'49, with `famine fever' ravaging the already starving population.
By 1847, following two years of famine after the failure of the potato crop in 1845 and 1847, British government relief schemes were ended and the heavy burden of providing relief now fell on the Poor Law Union in Ireland and the private relief organisations. Soup-kitchens were established and soup because the chief foodstuff of the starving.
Although it was only a question of time before `famine fever', caused by starvation, would break out, the government did little to prepare for the inevitable epidemic.
In January 1847, typhus and relapsing fever broke out and by February fever was reported in Kerry. Within weeks `famine fever' swept the country. Without adequate hospitals, dispensaries and extra medical staff, Ireland was now to face a fever epidemic of immense size.
There were five categories of fevers; typhus (`Black Fever' or `Shattered Fever'); relapsing fever (`Yellow Fever'); dysentry, hunger oedema (`Famine Dropsy')' and scurvy (`Black Leg'). The two most prevalent causes of death were typhus and relapsing fever.
The fever epidemic had been raging for three months before the government intervened. Under a Fever Act, which became law in April 1847, the Central Board of Health which had been allowed to lapse the previous August, was hastily reconvened, though the Act placed much of the responsibility for provision of facilities on local relief committees. They were slow to come into existence and when they did, many of them proved unwilling to assume full responsibility.
`Fever sheds' were set up and army tents distributed to act as temporary hospitals in an effort to combat the spread of disease. Eventually, the Board of Health established 373 fever hospitals and provided 473 additional doctors in an attempt to contain the epidemic.
The government measures, however, were totally inadequate and in villages, towns and cities throughout Ireland, fever-stricken men, women and children died in their cabins and on the roadside, and were buried in the fields and on hillsides. In some districts the dead were so numerous that it was impossible to bury them separately, and common graves were dug.
Around September 1847, the epidemic began to subside but it continued in many parts of the country until October of the following year. The total number of people who died during the fever epidemic and of famine diseases will never be known.
The first outbreak of typhus and relapsing fever during the Famine occurred on 18 January 1847, 150 years ago this week.
The year 1847, which was to become known as ``Black 47'', was one of the worst years of the Famine of 1845-'49, with `famine fever' ravaging the already starving population.
By 1847, following two years of famine after the failure of the potato crop in 1845 and 1847, British government relief schemes were ended and the heavy burden of providing relief now fell on the Poor Law Union in Ireland and the private relief organisations. Soup-kitchens were established and soup because the chief foodstuff of the starving.
Although it was only a question of time before `famine fever', caused by starvation, would break out, the government did little to prepare for the inevitable epidemic.
In January 1847, typhus and relapsing fever broke out and by February fever was reported in Kerry. Within weeks `famine fever' swept the country. Without adequate hospitals, dispensaries and extra medical staff, Ireland was now to face a fever epidemic of immense size.
There were five categories of fevers; typhus (`Black Fever' or `Shattered Fever'); relapsing fever (`Yellow Fever'); dysentry, hunger oedema (`Famine Dropsy')' and scurvy (`Black Leg'). The two most prevalent causes of death were typhus and relapsing fever.
The fever epidemic had been raging for three months before the government intervened. Under a Fever Act, which became law in April 1847, the Central Board of Health which had been allowed to lapse the previous August, was hastily reconvened, though the Act placed much of the responsibility for provision of facilities on local relief committees. They were slow to come into existence and when they did, many of them proved unwilling to assume full responsibility.
`Fever sheds' were set up and army tents distributed to act as temporary hospitals in an effort to combat the spread of disease. Eventually, the Board of Health established 373 fever hospitals and provided 473 additional doctors in an attempt to contain the epidemic.
The government measures, however, were totally inadequate and in villages, towns and cities throughout Ireland, fever-stricken men, women and children died in their cabins and on the roadside, and were buried in the fields and on hillsides. In some districts the dead were so numerous that it was impossible to bury them separately, and common graves were dug.
Around September 1847, the epidemic began to subside but it continued in many parts of the country until October of the following year. The total number of people who died during the fever epidemic and of famine diseases will never be known.
The first outbreak of typhus and relapsing fever during the Famine occurred on 18 January 1847, 150 years ago this week.