Research suggests disease may have been more widespread in New England than previously thought
A photograph likely from the 1860s showing the Dartmouth College Congressionalist Church and vestry
(left) and the adjacent Ripley/Choate House. (Photo courtesy of the Rauner Special Collections Library at Dartmouth)
May 3, 2021 SHARE
Parasitic infections, including tapeworm and whipworm, were a common problem in the United States until the 20th century. It is commonly believed that these infections mainly impacted lower-income, urban areas where conditions including shared public spaces, lack of sewage systems and poor sanitation were prime for disease spread.
However, new research conducted by researchers at Washington University in St. Louis and Dartmouth College and published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports suggests that parasitic disease was likely widespread in New England, even in remote rural areas and in wealthy households.
‘We have built no temple but the Capitol. We consult no common oracle but the Constitution.”
Those words, from former Massachusetts Sen. Rufus Choate, are inscribed on the wall of the U.S. Capitol the same walls desecrated by rioters who ransacked the building on Wednesday. For many Americans, seeing such acts of violence and vandalism occurring in the Capitol building was something unimaginable.
In fact, our civic “temple” has a surprisingly bloody history. It was still under construction when British troops seized it during the War of 1812. The Brits torched the structure, also destroying the U.S. Supreme Court and the Library of Congress, which were both housed there. Only a violent thunderstorm’s arrival put out the flames, thus sparing the original walls, which are incorporated in today’s building.
Commentary: J. Mark Powell - The bloody past of nation s Capitol
J. Mark Powell
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‘We have built no temple but the Capitol. We consult no common oracle but the Constitution.”
Those words, from former Massachusetts Sen. Rufus Choate, are inscribed on the wall of the U.S. Capitol the same walls desecrated by rioters who ransacked the building. For many Americans, seeing such acts of violence and vandalism occurring in the Capitol was something unimaginable.
In fact, our civic “temple” has a surprisingly bloody history. It was still under construction when British troops seized it during the War of 1812. The Brits torched the structure, also destroying the U.S. Supreme Court and the Library of Congress, which were both housed there. Only a violent thunderstorm’s arrival put out the flames, thus sparing the original walls, which are incorporated in today’s building.