Contagious Disease at Calumet and Hecla - Set 1

Company Tracks Local Diseases

Context:

By the early 1900s, doctors knew contagious diseases like smallpox and tuberculosis spread through close contact. Some companies in the Keweenaw took the role of public health offices by tracking illnesses and sending doctors even when the sick people were not their employees. For example, the Calumet and Hecla mining company kept monthly reports called "Sanitation Bulletins" as early as 1897.

These are tricky to use as references because they are not traditional letters. If you were researching patterns of sickness, you could find numbers in these reports, but you’d need all the data to draw any conclusions. What can be learned from only these three pages? Do they bring up more questions than answers?

Instead of just seeing the data itself, pay attention to what types of data were included and why. What was important to Calumet and Hecla? How do these reports demonstrate paternalism?

"Sanitary Bulletins" from June, September, & October 1897

Larger photos here: Map | Report

Larger photos here: Map | Report

Larger photos here: Map | Report

Stop and Reflect:

These are tricky to use as references because they are not traditional letters. If you were researching patterns of sickness, you could find numbers in these reports, but you’d need all the data to draw any conclusions.

• What can be learned from only these three pages?

• Do they bring up more questions than answers?

Instead of just seeing the data itself, pay attention to what types of data were included and why.

• What was important to Calumet and Hecla?

• How do these reports demonstrate paternalism?

Historian's Perspective:

The existence of these reports reveals that Calumet and Hecla felt contagious diseases were a threat to the community and their business. They understood how tracking the location and number of illnesses gave early warnings for epidemics, and it was important enough to create pre-printed pages and pay their doctors to write reports every month. The temperature and rainfall were likely recorded because many theories about health at the time focused on the environment, especially the cleanliness of the air people breathed.

The company’s paternalism is shown through this report, as their doctors didn’t only stay in the hospital but traveled around town recording different medical information and residents’ home addresses. Notably, their concern for disease only went as far as the company property boundaries.

These documents also bring up questions:

• Were the reports meant for the head physician, so he could catch epidemics early? (“E. H. Pomeroy” was head physician at the time, although his signature does not prove he was the one to actually make the reports.)
• Were they to keep the general manager informed? Simply for records?

Knowing their purpose would offer a better understanding of the company’s motives.

Also, 1897 is the first year in this collection where these "Sanitation Bulletins" appear. Did Calumet and Hecla only start using them in 1897, or were earlier bulletins lost? They had printed templates for the maps and charts, which might mean they were already used to these reports. Looking at Dr. Pomeroy’s letters or medical staff meetings around this time could shed some light if there were discussions about “new reports” or similar.

The annual tuberculosis chart also brings up questions. During this time, tuberculosis was feared across the nation due to its deadliness and quick spread. Multiple sanitoriums existed in the Keweenaw, where doctors sent people to hopefully recover. There was little treatment beyond fresh air and rest. Knowing this, tuberculosis was likely a special concern for Calumet and Hecla, whose workforce could be destroyed by a pandemic. Was that why they singled it out?