Maine Influenza November 1918

[from “1918 Pandemic Influenza in Maine.” Maine Department of Health and Human Services.(edited for length and clarity)]* Saturday, November 2 The influenza epidemic, which has caused so much suffering in Portland, has passed its climax, but it has left behind weakness and desolation. Many families which have always been self-supporting have lost their providers. Others…

Maine Influenza October 1918

St. John School (later All Saints School) State Street, Bangor

[from “1918 Pandemic Influenza in Maine.” Maine Department of Health and Human Services.(edited for length and clarity)]* Tuesday, October 1 On account of the epidemic of Spanish influenza and the fact that five students who arrived this morning were found to be afflicted with the disease, the opening of Colby College has been postponed for…

Maine Influenza September 1918

Central Maine General Hospital c. 1918

[from “1918 Pandemic Influenza in Maine.” Maine Department of Health and Human Services.(edited for length and clarity)]* Saturday, September 7 The first soldier at Camp Devens near Boston becomes ill with influenza. Just 35 miles northwest of Boston this camp, like so many other military camps, was hurriedly erected in the summer of 1917, just…

Health, Suicide

Suicide by Method 2005 -2009

About fifteen of every 100,000 Mainers commit suicide each year.  Over 70% range in age from twenty-four through seventy-four.  Suicides occur at a rate of about seven times that of murders.  See other causes of death. The method of choice for males is a gun; for women it is poisoning.  The good news is that…

Togus

National Home for Disabled Soldiers (Eastern Branch) c. 1880

                                                                    The National Home for Disabled Soldiers (Eastern Branch) Togus c. 1880 The Togus Veterans Administration Medical and Regional Office Center, as…

Rank of Maine, Health and Obesity

Maine appears to be near the national average in terms of the percent of its populations in various categories that are obese, or overweight and obese, or who have diabetes or hypertension – both linked to being overweight. YEAR RANK MAINE U.S. Obesity Adults 2003 43 19.9% 22.8% 20051 34 22.0% n.a. 20061 33 23.0%2…

Rabies

Chart: Rabies by County 1994-2010

What Should You do if You have been Exposed? If you have been bitten or scratched by a wild animal, or by a pet or farm animal that has been behaving oddly, follow these steps: 1. Animals must be killed or captured without injuring the brain; brain tissue must be tested. 2. Immediately wash the…

Poverty

Tenement Housing Usually Serves Low-Income People (2002)

Official Poverty Levels by Family Size Size Income 1 $12,140 2 $16,460 3 $20,780 4 $25,100 5 $29,420 6 $33,740 7 $38,060 8 $42,380 – – – – – – – – – – For each additional family member, add $4,320. Standards for 2018 issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The…

Health and Human Services

Prior to 1975 known as the Department of Health and Welfare, the mission of this executive department is to protect and preserve the health and welfare of Maine citizens. More recently known as the Department of Human Services, it is now the Department of Health and Human Services. The change reflects the fact that the…

Abortion

Abortions Maine and US 1978-2012

Abortion has been the center of political conflict for much of the last one hundred years, but especially so since the United State Supreme Court ruled in 1973, in the case of Roe v. Wade, that prohibition of abortion is an unconstitutional invasion of a woman’s right to privacy. However, the Court did allow for…