Ellen Harper

Ellen Harper (1846 - 1847), infant daughter of Charles Alfred Harper and Livina Wollerton Dilworth, was born 25 April 1846 at Nauvoo, Hancock County, Illinois. She died at the age of sixteen months on 27 August 1847 at Winter Quarters [present Omaha], Douglas County, Nebraska Territory, and was buried at Mormon Pioneer Cemetery, Grave #212.

Summer Complaint

Summer complaint is a popular term for any diarrheal disorder occurring in summer, especially when produced by heat and indigestion. The disease is found almost entirely in the infant population. The first symptoms may be in the stomach, bowels, hands and feet. These symptoms may be followed by offensive vomit. The child will have a loss of body heat and intense thirst. Without relief, the infant will have a cold perspiration and the disease may become chronic until their death. Summer complaint may also be known by names such as cholera infantum, weaning brash, water gripes, and choleric fever in children.

Etiology: Summer complaint is caused in part by hot weather and/or poor ventilation. Summer complaint in infants is often caused by spoiled milk or other unwholesome, indigestible food. An additional cause may include painful teething.

Treatment: The first step in treating Summer Complaint is to remove the cause. If the infant is nursing, the mother's diet should be improved. The patient should receive pure air and sunlight. If the disease is a result of teething, the gums must be lanced.

Source: Hooper, Robert M.D. F.L.S. Lexicon-Medicum; or Medical Dictionary. New York: J. & J. Harper, 1826; Scholl, B. Frank. Library ofHealth: Complete Guide to Prevention and Cure of Disease. Philadelphia: Historical Publishing Company, 1944; Winslow, Kenelm. The Home Medical Library, Volume III. New York: The Review of Reviews Co., 1911.

Modern Day Equivalents: Summer complaint is referred today as Cholera Infanutm or infantile diarrhea. The disease may also be related to dysentery.

Sources

• Winter Quarters Project: Mormon Pioneer Cemetery: Grave #212; Name: Ellen Harper; Death date: 27 Aug 1847; Cause of death: Summer Complaint.