I was rummaging around ancestry.com. I looked up Timothy J. Shea, my great grandfather, on my mother’s side. He lived from 1857 to 1932. He was born in Bantry, Ireland and emigrated to the US (Ellis Island) when he was 23. He and his wife Honora moved to Newton, MA where they raised their family. Part of the Irish immigration to Boston in the 1800s.
They had 11 children, six of whom died before they were 10. Two died within the first month of their life[1]. A stark reminder that infant mortality was very high in the 19th century. The surviving children included my grandfather and his sister Margaret who came to our house for a Thanksgiving dinner. She lived to the age of 92.
Along with his brother Dan, Timothy J. managed a glue factory which was on the banks of the Charles River. The factory was shut down when the banks of the Charles River were turned into a park and the state banned effluent (pollution) being dumped in the harbor. Glue was made from hoofs, horns and other animal refuse. You can imagine the smell and the pollution
On the left is my great grandfather’s grave site at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Needham. On the right is the interior of a 19th century glue factory.
[1] In 1800, 47% of kids died before their fifth birthday. In 2020, .7% (that’s point 7) of kids did not make it to their fifth birthday. Unbelievable progress.
One way to bring those dry statistics home is to realize that if our six grandkids had been born in 1800, three of them would not see their fifth birthday. Shudder.
There are several factors that have led to dramatic reductions in infant mortality since the time of my great grandfather – better prenatal care, safer water, and advances in formula.
Vaccines are one of the most important factors for this progress. One study estimated that 40% in the reduction in infant mortality globally over the last 50 years has been due to childhood vaccines.
How can you be an antivaxxer?