As the chronavirus fades and “social distancing” recedes...I wander in the corners of my mind....and I remember another epidemic...and like most kids at the Bacon elementary school I caught the bug. I caught everything it seemed growing up - but I wasn’t a pale sickly kid...in my days measles and mumps were easier to catch I guess... There weren't even doctors yet called pediatricians in my town.
I came home from school one day my grandmother Ethel said, “Calvin your face is red...are you Ok?” She put her hand to my forehead, a regular routine for as this was her usual diagnostic tool. She sighed and immediately gave me her universial core; half a Bayer’s aspirin….no need to take my temperature. Grandmother's don't seem to need thermometers. The oral thermometer many times was the bearer of good news for all kids if the red was a fraction above the universal “normal” line then we usually got to stay home from school for at least a day or two. Just to make certain Nanny got our ancient one and stuck it in my mouth. She told me to "keep it there" after a few minutes it read a blazing 99 and to my great dismay I wasn’t allowed to go outside and play. Instead I watched our new 10” Admiral TV...but Cartoon Corner was for shut-ins and a poor substitute, at this time of day, for outside play was a must after sitting in an ancient desk at Bacon School - mostly still and silent for 5 or 6 hours.
At dinner I wasn’t very hungry. My mom watched me “like a hawk”! (I always wondered how hawk's watched...they must stare alot). After dinner to confirm Nanny's diagnosis she touched my forehead and took my temperature. She give me the other half of the afternoon aspirin. The next morning I had a few red bumps on my belly - no school today for me she ordered. Later that afternoon Dr. Rosen came to my house (doctors made house calls in those days) as well as having office hours. A house call during the day, late at night or weekends cost $4.00 and $3 bucks if the doc didn't have to travel. What a difference a few decades makes...Today, I usually see my primary care’s certified nurse practitioner for 8 minutes after a 40 minute wait - it costs $180 bucks.
He took my temperature first too (I started to hate that glass rod). Looked at my stomach and proclaimed - “Margaret sorry to report our boy here has the Chicken Pox. (Note: Since Chickenpox has been almost entirely eradicated today almost every kid was destined to get it.
(I digress to give a brief Mayo Clinic description of this dreaded malady: “ Chicken pox is an infection caused by the varicella-zoster virus. It causes an itchy rash with small, fluid-filled blisters. Chickenpox is highly contagious to people who haven't had the disease or been vaccinated against it. Today, a vaccine is available that protects children against chickenpox. Routine vaccination is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).” And for trivia lovers - Chicken Pox has been around for centuries but you can't catch it from chickens. The name is thought to come from the small bumps that form all over the body - the ancients said they looked like chickpeas.)
But back to my tale of woe. Doc Rosen told us I had to stay home in bed for at least two weeks. I couldn’t watch TV because the disease could seriously harm my eyes! (Today, research had proven this was not so.) He recommended lot’s of rest in a darkened room and light meals. “And Cal,” he said directly to me, “ no scratching especially on your face... blisters will come soon from your bumps - if you scratch them they will leave scars.”
The plus for this visit - I didn’t get a shot. The downside, NO TV. This was much worse than a pox. After three days I was covered with bumps - on my arms, my back, even between my toes and on my eyelids...they soon turned into blisters and itched like the dickens (one of grandmother’s favorite terms - I always wonder what a dickens was? I never found out) For the first time in my life I had itches I couldn't scratch even in the privacy of my own bedroom! This was worse than missing Milton Berle Tuesday night.
I was now under constant surveillance by Nanny during the day and Mom at night - “No scratching,” they would command every time they came into my blacked out room of boredom and despair. However, having a lot of time I came up with a plan as I idled away the hours. I secretly scratched places that wouldn’t show a scar - I desperately needed some relief - the only time I didn't itch was when I dozed. Scratching my belly saved my highly visible body parts from miniscule scars that would deface me forever. These brief violations were moments of bliss.
Like everything in life, this plague passed, and the blisters stopped itching and turned into scabs. Dr. Rosen returned for a follow up and declared me not contagious. I was finally whole again... free at last...and ready to return to school. And most important, I could watch TV and go outside in the wonderful light of day. However in a few weeks the measles struck and I was home again for a week ...which was a cinch compared to the poultry pox.
Just remember this childhood passage for most kids of my time makes me itch all over - but fortunately I can scratch anywhere I want to.
