HIST 249 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Saint Lawrence River, Urban Council, Lower Canada
15 Dec 2016
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NOTES FOR HIST 249 ASSIGNMENT 2
1.Who is this document written by and for what purposes? Who do you think the
authors are using as “informants” to understanding local conditions?
Written by: Philadelphia Sanitary Board Commission that was appointed to visit Canada
for the investigation of the epidemic (cover page)
Purpose: Philadelphia had a good system in place for preventing the spread of disease so
they went to Canada to do research on why and how the disease spread and by writing
this research paper they could help Canada prevent the further spread of disease
• If the epidemic were to ever take place, the epidemic was confined to the areas of the
visitors/emigrants so the residents of Philadelphia could not be affected (page 17)
• If ever the epidemic reaches Philadelphia, there is already a system in place with
municipal regulations where the health of the community is preserved and a sanitary
police force was established that enforced certain regulations against pestilence and
protected the citizens from epidemics (page 17)
• PURPOSE (page 18): instruction is important and they want people to know facts.
They want people to understand the situation and be able to make rules and to learn
from this epidemic.
• PURPOSE (page 36): they want to inform people so if ever an epidemic should begin
again, people know what precautions to take and how to prevent the spread of the
disease.
Who are the informants? The doctors
2. Who are the major social/ethnic/occupational groups discussed in the report,
what according to the authors are their major characteristics, and how does each
fare during the epidemic?
Groups + Characteristics:
Emigrants (mostly Irish)
• Page 6: large numbers of emigrants were forced to evacuate and move to Bivouac on
open grounds. At Bivouac along the Saint Lawrence River, these emigrants were
exposed to bad weather against which they were unable to procure sufficient
protection
• Page 6: the emigrants were only there for 50-60 days. The food they ate during their
trip was indigestible and they drank bad water. The food and water combined together
with the weather predisposed them to the epidemic (could also be question 3)
• Page 7: in Quebec the emigrants lived in crowded and confined areas so they were
affected more by the disease
• Page 16: Most of the emigrants in Canada resided in Montreal and Quebec prior to
the epidemic breaking out and they continued to live there with good health.
• Page 36: The emigrants were ignorant and in combination with their bad habits of life
that made them more at risk for catching the epidemic.
find more resources at oneclass.com
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2
Soldiers (troops)
• Page 13: the troops were affected immediately affected in Quebec after the epidemic
reached Montreal. They were transferred to the island of Saint Helens and after three
days, no other case took place. A number of them died. The same situation happened
in La Prairie and immediately after the troops were sent to the Island, the disease
stopped spreading.
• Page 16: They were not allowed to get the epidemic. They lived in barracks supplied
by the government so as to not get sick.
Residents (Montreal and Quebec)
• Page 7 Montreal: They are not affected. Their language remains the same and modes
of life. The only thing that changed for them was the mode of government. Their diet
consisted of vegetables, soups, and bread. They live in clean and comfortable homes.
• Page 12: In Canada, everyone was bitter and in high stress due to the epidemic,
which was not helping the situation, in fact, it was worsening it.
• Page 12: People in Lower Canada (Quebec) were living comfortably but paid little
attention to cleanliness. They made food that was crude in nature. They lived in single
story homes with small rooms and they slept on the floor. They drank bad water. The
soil was mixed with lime-stone, clay which dissolved into the water.
• Page 13: two-thirds of the cases in Montreal were located along the banks near the
water were affected by the epidemic. The disease in Quebec started in the lower parts
of town comprised mainly of emigrants and sailors with bad habits who lived in
confined, ill-ventilated parts of the city. This was where most of the cases for the
epidemic took place in Quebec.
• Page 17: The English residents of Montreal did not begin to suffer from the disease
until a week after it first appeared. In Montreal, the Canadian residents were more
affected than the emigrants especially when considering the conditions under which
the emigrants lived.
Natives
Gender:
• Page 9: the largest number of cases were of the male gender because they indulged
more with food and alcohol (intemperance)
How does each group survive?
Because the emigrants in Quebec were living in such crowded, confined areas more of
them died in proportion to the residents and the natives (Page 7).
3. What do the authors of the Report single out as the factors that explain the
variation in illness incidence among the different groups discussed and what
measures should be taken to prevent or cope with the epidemic?
Emigrants (mostly Irish)
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Written by: philadelphia sanitary board commission that was appointed to visit canada for the investigation of the epidemic (cover page) If the epidemic were to ever take place, the epidemic was confined to the areas of the visitors/emigrants so the residents of philadelphia could not be affected (page 17) Emigrants (mostly irish: page 6: large numbers of emigrants were forced to evacuate and move to bivouac on open grounds. At bivouac along the saint lawrence river, these emigrants were exposed to bad weather against which they were unable to procure sufficient protection: page 6: the emigrants were only there for 50-60 days. The food they ate during their trip was indigestible and they drank bad water. Soldiers (troops: page 13: the troops were affected immediately affected in quebec after the epidemic reached montreal. They were transferred to the island of saint helens and after three days, no other case took place.
