Before Chapin
Misconceptions in Science |
Many scientists and most of the public believed that disease was a direct result of filth, that disease was transmitted through bad-smelling air and that disinfection was the cure for almost anything. The Miasma Theory was the main theory used to describe epidemics in any given area. (9) The study of bacteriology was an up-incoming field with fewer than 12 bacteriologist in the entire United States. Scientists and the public alike believed the lower-income areas of cities were more highly infested with disease because of reasons other than it being far more densely packed. (10)
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Lack of Sanitation |
In most of the United States, not just limited to Rhode Island, before Chapin there was little public or scientific knowledge about the necessity for self hygiene and sanitation. Before Chapin, the public health officers gave little effort to educate the public during times of epidemics. (11) The public health officers of Chapin's time had little significance due to the lacking field of bacteriology.
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