Category Archives: Public health

St. John’s Sanitarium

Posted on November 19, 2024 by editor

St. John’s Sanitarium near Riverton was a refuge for tuberculosis patients and disabled children for more than 50 years. The project was the idea of a Catholic priest, the Rev. Joseph Straub, and the final product was almost as elaborate … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Buildings, Churches, Medicine, Prominent figures, Public health, Social services | 2 Comments

The Oak Ridge Park pagoda

Posted on January 12, 2024 by editor

In the 19th century, the Oak Ridge Pagoda drew merrymakers, thrill-seekers, and sometimes street gangs to what now is Lincoln Park. But the building’s last users were a few pitiful victims of what might have been smallpox. Oak Ridge Park, … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Buildings, Crime and vice, Local government, Parks, Public health, Social life, Sports and recreation, Transportation | Leave a comment

Sister Jane Like & Carol Bressan: Unsung heroes of SIU Med SChool

Posted on September 24, 2023 by editor

This entry has been corrected. See below and in comments. The lecture title said it all: “The Early History of SIU School of Medicine: Not for the Naïve or Faint of Heart.” According to Glen Davidson, Ph.D, two women – … Continue reading →

Posted in Churches, Higher education, Medicine, Prominent figures, Public health, State government | 1 Comment

COVID-19 in Sangamon County: The first year

Posted on March 19, 2023 by editor

Sangamon County recorded its first COVID-19 death on March 19, 2020. A 71-year-old woman travelling from Florida to Springfield passed away from virus complications at Memorial Medical Center. The death occurred during a period of national uncertainty about the COVID-19 … Continue reading →

Posted in Disasters, Local government, Medicine, Public health, Sangamon County, Science | Leave a comment

Memorial Pool

Posted on August 14, 2022 by editor

On June 16, 1928, a crowd of about 750 people attended the grand opening of Soldiers’ and Sailors Memorial Pool on Springfield’s north end. The pool was named to honor all U.S. service personnel who perished in wars spanning the … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Local government, Parks, Public health, Social services, Sports and recreation, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Stray dog eradication, 1935

Posted on July 19, 2022 by editor

Hoping to stop a rabies epidemic, authorities declared open season on stray dogs in Sangamon County in 1935. Police and dog catchers killed hundreds of dogs that year in what one Illinois State Journal headline called a “brutal” eradication campaign. … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Journalism, Local government, Media, Medicine, Prominent figures, Public health | Leave a comment

Covid-19: History in the making

Posted on May 19, 2022 by editor

At least three local institutions are documenting the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on individuals in Illinois as it happens. Representatives of all three gave presentations May 17, 2022, to the Sangamon County Historical Society. Results from two of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Disasters, Medicine, Public health, Resources, Science | Leave a comment

Tapeworms and medical fraud, 1884

Posted on November 6, 2021 by editor

Dr. George Kreider “hates quacks as the devil hates holy water,” the Illinois State Register said in 1884, but he almost met his match in an 87-foot tapeworm. George N. Kreider (1856-1922) was a leader among Springfield physicians in the … Continue reading →

Posted in First Citizens, Journalism, Law enforcement, Medicine, Prominent figures, Public health, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Dr. Don Deal, surgeon and visionary

Posted on July 20, 2021 by editor

In the 1920s, Dr. Don Deal correctly predicted Springfield’s reinvention as a medical center. Springfield’s medical establishment “draws from a larger surrounding territory, in proportion to its population, than any other city in the United States,” Deal told fellow members … Continue reading →

Posted in Medicine, Prominent figures, Public health, Science, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Hottest day in Springfield history

Posted on July 12, 2021 by editor

Blazing-hot weather killed two people, one an infant, in July 1954, and Springfield recorded its highest temperature ever – either 112 or 113.8 degrees, depending on which thermometer you followed  – on July 14, 1954. The heat was compounded by … Continue reading →

Posted in Disasters, Local government, Public health, Sangamon River | Leave a comment