Doctor Research:
1.What are the common illnesses along the trail?
Cholera: A diarrhea illness causes infection of the intestine. Some of the effects of cholera were watery diarrhea, vomiting, and leg cramps. Cholera is spread by contaminated water and food.
Head and body lice: The pioneers on the Oregon Trail got head and body lice from not bathing for
long periods of time. They didn’t bath because they couldn’t find fresh water along the trail. Some of the effects of head and body lice were itching continually, causing the body to itch uncontrollably. Lice are six legged insects that attach themselves to hairy parts of your body or clothing, and feed on your scalp or skin. They can live up to 20 or more days and during that time they will produce more eggs.
Malaria: Malaria infected mosquitos give you malaria when they bite you. Once the mosquito bites
you, the malaria travels through your body to your liver. The chills, sweats, fevers, and abdominal pain are all symptoms of malaria. Malaria can cause swelling and bleeding that you can’t stop, inside and out.
Scurvy:This is caused by improper diet. The pioneers ate whatever they could find, and didn’t worry about their diet, only about not starving to death.
Measles:A viral disease infection that causes a fever and a red rash on the skin. The measles are usually infected in little kids.
Mountain fever: Mountain fever was dresccribed as a typhoid fever by some people, but other people believe that it was an insect-borne disease. The mountain fever was just a really bad fever that the pioneers on the Oregon Trail.
2. How do you treat them?
Treating a gunshot wound was very hard. Most doctors would treat this injury by sticking their bare hands into the persons body and feel around for the bullet. Once the doctor felt the bullet he/she would try removing it. Not only was this way painful beyond belief, but the people who were injured could get sick from the dirty hands reaching inside of their body. To get the hole of the gunshot wound bigger to try and get the bullet out, the doctor would use either a slim rod of metal, or a bone. Some treatments for the other illnesses include using hypnotism to reduce the pain which didn't work to help the actual wound, putting ice cold water in the bathtub and wrapping the patient when he/she came out of the tub in freezing cold covers for hours, restricting the patients to vegetarian diets, and even shocking the patent. The treatment for a fever was to draw blood from the sick, because they thought by taking the blood out of the sick person, the sickness would leave the body, this only made it worse. Mercury was a common "drug" for the pioneers on the trail. This element was toxic, and the sign of Mercury poisoning was mistaken as Mercury doing its job. Some other tricks doctors thought would work, were giving their patients a pill that would make them vomit or have diarrhea. Those were not all the tricks though. Doctors would raise blisters, use a technique called cupping which they thought would draw off toxins in the body.
3. What did the people of the 1800's believe caused illnesses?
In the 19th century, people believed illnesses were inside the person, the ill only took over the weak, or the unclean would become sick. Others thought that the people who were ill did something bad and God brought on their illness to punish them. Some other beliefs were that the night air held diseases’ and illnesses, and mists came from the ground carrying sickening illnesses.
4. What were the hardships on the trail?
One of the many hardships the pioneered had to experience were crossing rivers. Hundreds of pioneers drowned trying to cross the Kansas, North Platte and Columbia Rivers. Walking was a big problem. The 2,000-mile walk was not easy, yet most pioneers walked the whole way, because they couldn’t fit anything else in their wagon. Adding to this exhausting walk, the ground was not paved and a lot of the pioneers walked barefoot. Accidents were very common. One of the most common accidents was falling off the wagon. If someone fell of the big wagon, the huge wheels would crush him or her instantly. Children were the main people to lose their lives this way. The weather was a major obstacle on the trail. Emigrants were killed by lightning strikes; hail the size of apples, or pounding rains. The pounding rains were very hard on the pioneers because the wagons were not waterproof, so the water from the raid would flood the wagon. There was also no shelter along the trail, so everyone one relied on the earth.
5. What were some of the leading causes of death?
The leading causes of death on the Oregon Trial was diseases, they could spread so fast that within 24 hours a person could be dead. Some other causes of death were being bit or kicked by horses or oxen, slipping as pioneers were climbing on to or off of their wagon and then being run over, and being stuck by lightning. The hardest illness to treat on the Oregon Trail, was a gunshot wound.
6. What were the common surgical instruments?
A butchers hand knife, carpenters handsaw and a shoemakers awl. A slim rod of metal, or a bone were two common instraments doctors used in order to get a gun shot out.
7. What was the most feared disease?
Cholera
Extra information:
1.What are the common illnesses along the trail?
Cholera: A diarrhea illness causes infection of the intestine. Some of the effects of cholera were watery diarrhea, vomiting, and leg cramps. Cholera is spread by contaminated water and food.
Head and body lice: The pioneers on the Oregon Trail got head and body lice from not bathing for
long periods of time. They didn’t bath because they couldn’t find fresh water along the trail. Some of the effects of head and body lice were itching continually, causing the body to itch uncontrollably. Lice are six legged insects that attach themselves to hairy parts of your body or clothing, and feed on your scalp or skin. They can live up to 20 or more days and during that time they will produce more eggs.
Malaria: Malaria infected mosquitos give you malaria when they bite you. Once the mosquito bites
you, the malaria travels through your body to your liver. The chills, sweats, fevers, and abdominal pain are all symptoms of malaria. Malaria can cause swelling and bleeding that you can’t stop, inside and out.
Scurvy:This is caused by improper diet. The pioneers ate whatever they could find, and didn’t worry about their diet, only about not starving to death.
Measles:A viral disease infection that causes a fever and a red rash on the skin. The measles are usually infected in little kids.
Mountain fever: Mountain fever was dresccribed as a typhoid fever by some people, but other people believe that it was an insect-borne disease. The mountain fever was just a really bad fever that the pioneers on the Oregon Trail.
2. How do you treat them?
Treating a gunshot wound was very hard. Most doctors would treat this injury by sticking their bare hands into the persons body and feel around for the bullet. Once the doctor felt the bullet he/she would try removing it. Not only was this way painful beyond belief, but the people who were injured could get sick from the dirty hands reaching inside of their body. To get the hole of the gunshot wound bigger to try and get the bullet out, the doctor would use either a slim rod of metal, or a bone. Some treatments for the other illnesses include using hypnotism to reduce the pain which didn't work to help the actual wound, putting ice cold water in the bathtub and wrapping the patient when he/she came out of the tub in freezing cold covers for hours, restricting the patients to vegetarian diets, and even shocking the patent. The treatment for a fever was to draw blood from the sick, because they thought by taking the blood out of the sick person, the sickness would leave the body, this only made it worse. Mercury was a common "drug" for the pioneers on the trail. This element was toxic, and the sign of Mercury poisoning was mistaken as Mercury doing its job. Some other tricks doctors thought would work, were giving their patients a pill that would make them vomit or have diarrhea. Those were not all the tricks though. Doctors would raise blisters, use a technique called cupping which they thought would draw off toxins in the body.
3. What did the people of the 1800's believe caused illnesses?
In the 19th century, people believed illnesses were inside the person, the ill only took over the weak, or the unclean would become sick. Others thought that the people who were ill did something bad and God brought on their illness to punish them. Some other beliefs were that the night air held diseases’ and illnesses, and mists came from the ground carrying sickening illnesses.
4. What were the hardships on the trail?
One of the many hardships the pioneered had to experience were crossing rivers. Hundreds of pioneers drowned trying to cross the Kansas, North Platte and Columbia Rivers. Walking was a big problem. The 2,000-mile walk was not easy, yet most pioneers walked the whole way, because they couldn’t fit anything else in their wagon. Adding to this exhausting walk, the ground was not paved and a lot of the pioneers walked barefoot. Accidents were very common. One of the most common accidents was falling off the wagon. If someone fell of the big wagon, the huge wheels would crush him or her instantly. Children were the main people to lose their lives this way. The weather was a major obstacle on the trail. Emigrants were killed by lightning strikes; hail the size of apples, or pounding rains. The pounding rains were very hard on the pioneers because the wagons were not waterproof, so the water from the raid would flood the wagon. There was also no shelter along the trail, so everyone one relied on the earth.
5. What were some of the leading causes of death?
The leading causes of death on the Oregon Trial was diseases, they could spread so fast that within 24 hours a person could be dead. Some other causes of death were being bit or kicked by horses or oxen, slipping as pioneers were climbing on to or off of their wagon and then being run over, and being stuck by lightning. The hardest illness to treat on the Oregon Trail, was a gunshot wound.
6. What were the common surgical instruments?
A butchers hand knife, carpenters handsaw and a shoemakers awl. A slim rod of metal, or a bone were two common instraments doctors used in order to get a gun shot out.
7. What was the most feared disease?
Cholera
Extra information:
- During the Oregon Trail, the doctors spread disease more and more because they unknowingly didn't clean their instruments didn't change their cloths, and they didn't wash their hands after helping a patient or before helping a patient. In the olden days, hospitals were not for the sick, but for the mentally insane, the poor, or the dying.
Guide Research
1. What were the major hardships for the pioneers? How would you
deal with them? One of the major hardships on the trail was trying to cross
rivers; many drown or loose important belongings. I would hire a ferry service
to help people get across safely. The cost to ride a ferry is about $16. It was
worth a pretty penny but, was worth the cost. Another hardship on the trail was
weather. Several emigrants have been struck by lightning, wagons often could
not withstand the weather and some were even injured in hailstorms. I would try
my best to always be within a few miles of shelter, even if it extended the
length of the trip. One other hardship was battling Cholera a disease in which
you could go from healthy to dead in a few hours. I would guide my group in a
fashion avoiding all exposure with
disease.
2. How many miles was the trail? The trail was about 2,000 miles
by foot.
3. How many days do you predict it will take? The trip should
take about 160 days.
4. Are there any Indian tribes? What and where? Yes there are a
few tribes nearby, including the Cheyenne and Pawnee tribes. The Cheyenne are to
the North and the Pawnee are to the South of the
trail.
5. Where can you get supplies? You can get most supplies from
"Jumping off spots" as well as trade with Native Americans for horses and
food.
1. What were the major hardships for the pioneers? How would you
deal with them? One of the major hardships on the trail was trying to cross
rivers; many drown or loose important belongings. I would hire a ferry service
to help people get across safely. The cost to ride a ferry is about $16. It was
worth a pretty penny but, was worth the cost. Another hardship on the trail was
weather. Several emigrants have been struck by lightning, wagons often could
not withstand the weather and some were even injured in hailstorms. I would try
my best to always be within a few miles of shelter, even if it extended the
length of the trip. One other hardship was battling Cholera a disease in which
you could go from healthy to dead in a few hours. I would guide my group in a
fashion avoiding all exposure with
disease.
2. How many miles was the trail? The trail was about 2,000 miles
by foot.
3. How many days do you predict it will take? The trip should
take about 160 days.
4. Are there any Indian tribes? What and where? Yes there are a
few tribes nearby, including the Cheyenne and Pawnee tribes. The Cheyenne are to
the North and the Pawnee are to the South of the
trail.
5. Where can you get supplies? You can get most supplies from
"Jumping off spots" as well as trade with Native Americans for horses and
food.
Wagon Boss Research
Photographer Research