- Slave health on American plantations
Diseases Among Slaves
While working on
plantations in The South in the United States, manyslave s faced serious health problems. Impropernutrition , unsanitary living conditions and excessive labor made them more susceptible to diseases than their masters. The death rates among the slaves were significantly higher due to diseases. Slaves often lived in unhealthy settings. Frequent human excretion in the water causedcholera ,diarrhoea ,typhoid ,tuberculosis ,influenza ,hepatitis , as well as other things such asSTD 's.lave Diet
The diet of a slave was sufficient to maintain the slave’s body weight and normal health. The daily energy intake of an adult slave was between 2500 to 3000
calories Fact|date=April 2008. So it was enough for the whole day’s work. However, in terms of nutrition, it was not. More than four-fifths of slave calories came fromcorn andpork Fact|date=April 2008. It has also been reported that their diet also included meat, bread, vegetables and fruits. Fewer calories came fromproteins compared tofat s andsugars . But their diet was low iniron and importantvitamins Fact|date=April 2008. Some of the slaves also had low levels ofcalcium due tolactose intolerance Fact|date=April 2008. By havingvitamin A deficiency, some of them had weakenedeyesight Fact|date=April 2008.Intestinal disease s were also problems for them. Diseases such asanemia (low iron) andrickets Fact|date=April 2008 (lowvitamin D ) were caused bymalnutrition among the slaves. Thus, due to the quality, not quantity, the slaves developed health problems.lave Clothing
Slaves were given two outfits of clothing a yearFact|date=April 2008, for winter and for summer. The masters only gave a pair of “
gator shoes ” or “brogans ”. Sometimes children and adults who were not working had to walk around barefoot. However, these things were insufficient for the field work; therefore they did not last very long. Clothing and shoe supplies from masters made matters even worse for themFact|date=April 2008.Medical Attention Given To Slaves
Slave masters often performed the health care needs of their slaves before they sent them to the doctor. If the home treatment did not help to improve the slave’s conditions, they would then send them to the
physician or asked the doctor to come to the plantation. Considering the importance of the health of their slaves, the planters organized the slave hospitals to treat their serious health problems.References
* Postell, William D. "The Health of Slaves on Southern Plantations". Gloucester: Louisiana State University Press. 1970.
* Dunaway, Wilma A. "The African-American Family in Slavery and Emancipation". Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 2003.
* http://carmichael.lib.virginia.edu/story/slavecare.html
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