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This book on Fred Harvey's "hospitality empire" is just chock full of stuff that seems almost tangential to the story of Harvey himself, but pings all my history geek synapses, and reminds me of how small a world, in many ways, American/European history can be. Bits:
• Susan B. Anthony's brother Daniel Read Anthony was a newspaper editor and one-time mayor of Leavenworth, Kansas, who "always had twin six-shooters in his holster--in case anyone wanted to talk politics." He shot and killed a rival newspaper editor who attacked his anti-slavery stance, pleaded self-defense, and thereafter was referred to as a "pistol-packin' pencil pusher!"
• After the death of George Pullman (who revolutionized train travel with the invention of the Pullman car, and became the workingman's public enemy #1 after he refused to settle a strike that brought the entire nation to a stop) Robert Todd Lincoln became the head of the Pullman Palace Car Company. (Okay, after reading that bio of Mary Todd Lincoln this interested me because I had a very different impression of Robert...it's all about the perspective.)
• Fred Harvey, a lifelong invalid, developed colon cancer, and was treated in London by Dr. Frederick Treves, of Elephant Man fame. Dr. Treves's main area of expertise was abdominal surgery; his appendectomies were particularly successful. His techniques, however, make the blood run cold:
Of course, Treves had a 40% mortality rate during surgery, and those who survived the surgery had only a 50% chance of being alive a year later.
This book is full of stuff like this. Catnip.
• Susan B. Anthony's brother Daniel Read Anthony was a newspaper editor and one-time mayor of Leavenworth, Kansas, who "always had twin six-shooters in his holster--in case anyone wanted to talk politics." He shot and killed a rival newspaper editor who attacked his anti-slavery stance, pleaded self-defense, and thereafter was referred to as a "pistol-packin' pencil pusher!"
• After the death of George Pullman (who revolutionized train travel with the invention of the Pullman car, and became the workingman's public enemy #1 after he refused to settle a strike that brought the entire nation to a stop) Robert Todd Lincoln became the head of the Pullman Palace Car Company. (Okay, after reading that bio of Mary Todd Lincoln this interested me because I had a very different impression of Robert...it's all about the perspective.)
• Fred Harvey, a lifelong invalid, developed colon cancer, and was treated in London by Dr. Frederick Treves, of Elephant Man fame. Dr. Treves's main area of expertise was abdominal surgery; his appendectomies were particularly successful. His techniques, however, make the blood run cold:
Treves had, in fact, written the textbook on colon cancer and its treatment, which was not wholly different than it is today-exploratory surgery leading to removal of tumors and resection of the bowel. The difference was in the surgical production values.
Not only were the cutting and suturing extremely crude, but at that time Treves still thought his friend Dr. Joseph Lister's theories about maintaining "strict antiseptic precautions" were only for "enthusiasts" and "surgical ritualists" going to "strange and blundering extremes." He wore no gloves during surgery and chided the surgeon who made an "exquisite ceremonial of washing" and "parad[ing] his cleanliness." There were no drugs--such as antibiotics--to prevent infection, and Treves didn't believe in sterile dressings. He liked to dust wounds with iodoform, a crystalline yellow antiseptic powder...and leave them exposed to the hospital air. "The fact that the iodoform is swarming with micro-organisms may disturb the bacterially-minded surgeon," he said, "but it disturbs neither the wound nor the patient."
Of course, Treves had a 40% mortality rate during surgery, and those who survived the surgery had only a 50% chance of being alive a year later.
This book is full of stuff like this. Catnip.